A New Dawn
by tickgrey
Summary: Upon returning to school for the spring semester, Cammie finds that things are finally getting back to "normal," but when an op is blown, Cammie's life is ripped apart. Will she recover? How far is she willing to go for revenge? And how will she face the looming choices regarding her future as a spy? (A GG6 fic)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Thanks for giving my story a chance! This is my first try at a fanfic, and I'm looking forward to (hopefully) doing a good job at it. I'm trying my best to really capture the essence of the Gallagher Girls not just through the characters and plots, but also through the style and characterizations that we know and love from Ally Carter. I just really want it to _feel_ like the Gallagher Girls rather than just look like it. I've got some ideas and plot twists that will hopefully be unexpected and fun! Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure!**

**(Oh, and I would love feedback whether its good or bad!)**

* * *

We'll be the ones doing the chasing.

I promised myself that last year, but somehow it already seemed unlikely. My best friend Bex sat beside me in the back of a limo on our way back home to the Gallagher Academy. I spent the winter break with Bex's family in London again, but it was different this time. There were no guards, no MI6, and no Circle of Cavan. It was just Bex's parents and us. It was freedom again.

Sure, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter are some of MI6's best agents, and I was never more than 10 yards from a member of the Baxter family, but I finally felt normal. I was no longer crazy. The spy in me knew that it would take some time before I was back to my normal self which is typical when you're tortured for months, but the girl in my knew that I was never really going back to my normal self.

I could see the impending walls of my beloved school. It felt like I was back for the first time since last spring. And really, it was the first time _I _had been back since last spring.

"You ready to go?" Bex asked happily after thirty minutes of scans, checks, and clearances.

I paused for a moment, breathed in the fresh air of my school, and replied, "Of course!"

We grabbed our luggage from the back and rushed to the front doors which were bursting with eager faces and excited students. I waved at some classmates and even assured Tina Walters that I, in fact, had not got re-kidnapped over the break. Bex and I shrugged her off and pushed through the crowds up the stairs, but something stopped us.

"Ms. Morgan," I heard a familiar voice call from behind me.

Bex and I spun around to see our supposed-to-be dead Cove-Ops teacher, Joe Solomon, standing at the foot of the old wooden staircase. He looked different from when I first met him sophomore year. This new Mr. Solomon lost some of his presence. He carried a wooden cane and walked gingerly.

Bex was the first to respond, "Wait, aren't you supposed to be dead still?"

He smiled and replied, "Mrs. Morgan and I took care of that over the break."

"So that's where she was," I muttered, and Mr. Solomon nodded. I then added, "It's really great to see you _alive _again."

Mr. Solomon smiled and then said, "Well, I don't want to keep you ladies too long. I am to tell you, Cammie, that your mother will not return to school for a little while-"

I opened my mouth to question him, but he stopped me and continued, "-and that she will be back as soon as possible. And that's all there is."

I knew better than to pursue more so we said goodbye and made our way through the crowds to our room where there was a very excited Liz and a worried Macey. Liz was the first to moved as she leaped towards us screaming, "Bex! Cammie!"

"Relax, Liz. We no longer have to fear death when we leave the school," Bex joked. Liz ignored her and hugged me. She may have been quite possibly the smartest teenager on the planet, but as she tripped over my suitcase, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, Macey! We're back!" I called to her cheerfully.

She stood up and looked at me seriously, "So, how are we going to rescue Preston?"

Bex replied, "So I see your holiday went well."

"I'm serious. We said that we'd get him after break. And it's time!" Macey began to get agitated which reminded me of Macey McHenry the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country. I couldn't help but think back to the day on the rooftop of the convention center.

I sighed, "You're right."

Macey smiled pleased with herself, but Bex said, "Can we at least wait to start planning covert missions that involved sneaking out of school and going to Rome until after we've spent some time in school? Like after dinner?"

We agreed because I wasn't exactly itching to leave for the first time in a while. I was tired of running, getting chased, and breaking rules strangely enough.

* * *

"Ms. Morgan! A word, please!" Professor Buckingham snapped at me as my friends and I made our way to dinner. I told them I'd catch up as I hurried over to the side where Professor Buckingham was standing.

"Your mother gave me this before she left and asked that I give this to you when you returned to school," she handed me a small brown envelope. "She asked for me to make it very clear that you are to read it immediately and follow the instructions to the letter. Are we clear?"

"Yes, professor," I responded.

I turned to head to the dining hall when Professor Buckingham called back, "And Cameron, be careful."

I was a little confused as I walked to an empty hallway to read the letter. The Circle of Cavan no longer needed me alive because the splinter group had the list, and the Circle didn't really need me dead anymore because I wasn't the only person with the list anymore.

I flipped the envelope to the front where my name was in my mom's handwriting. I was a little afraid to open it for fear that some terrible news could be inside, but before I had a chance to find out, a voice behind me cooed, "Were you ever going to say hello, Gallagher Girl?"

I have to admit, I'd almost forgotten again that Zach went to my school. I crammed the letter in my pocket and turned to say, "Nope. I prefer to let you find me."

He smiled like he always does and grabbed my hand, "May I escort you to the dining hall?"

I thought for a second about the letter, but I figured it could wait until after dinner. I smiled, "Let's go!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Thanks for getting to the second chapter, random reader! Sorry, no super spy action quite yet, but very soon! Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed so far! I love getting compliments, criticisms, and anything in between, so feel free to shoot me a message! (pun kind of intended) I'm still working on getting Ally Carter's style down to make this as authentic as possible, so I'm re-reading and re-writing over and over to try to get this stuff right! Tickgrey, out!**

* * *

At the Gallagher Academy, we train to be spies, but as teenagers, we do normal girl stuff like gossip. So when I walked into the dining hall with Zach in hand, I instantly noticed the stares we got. Zach, as the only boy at Gallagher Academy, was used to it, but I still was not. Zach and I sat down next to each other at our normal table with Bex, Macey, and Liz. There was only a little time for chatter before Professor Buckingham stepped up to the headmistress' podium which made me miss my mom even more. I thought about the letter once again and hoped it wasn't urgent.

Professor Buckingham waited as the crowd silenced and stood. We recited the standard reunion words and motto of our school, but I wasn't really focused. My thoughts drifted to what could be in the small brown envelope now burning a hole through my pocket.

"Please, take a seat," Professor Buckingham announced. "I'm a very happy you all made it back to school in one piece! There are a few pressing announcements to get to. First, Headmistress Morgan will not be with us for the first few days of the semester, but she promises to return as soon as possible. Next, we are all very happy to welcome back our Cover Operations teacher, Mr. Solomon!"

I didn't know the hall could get so noisy. Everyone was thrilled to get our favorite (and hottest) teacher back, and I was sure by now that rumors about his exoneration and triple agent status had already spread throughout the entire student body. Mr. Solomon waved and smiled from his seat on the teachers' table. Professor Buckingham attempted to settle the crowd as she continued, "Yes, we are all very excited. And finally, I have been asked to remind all students that _all _school rules will be enforced and are to be followed. Thank you, and have a nice dinner."

When you go to the country's (and perhaps the world's) finest spy school, lectures about the rules aren't normally given. Good spies live life avoiding the rules, and the spies-in-training at the Gallagher Academy were the best and the brightest in the country (and England), so we tend to avoid breaking schools rules when possible. So I couldn't help but think there was something else inside that message meant for Liz, Bex, Macey, Zach, and I.

Liz was the first to speak, "What do you think that was about?"

I sat and poked at my mashed potatoes while Bex replied, "I think she knows we're planning something."

"But how could she? Operation Pasta hasn't even been planned yet!" Macey retorted.

"And it definitely hasn't been named yet either!" Bex joked.

Macey snapped, "I'm being serious here. We need to know if they're on to us."

Zach started to rattle off the vast list of things we knew they knew, "Well, they know we know the list. They also know that we know that Ambassador Winters is on there. They know that we are friends with Preston."

Macey sighed, "Okay, okay, they know pretty much everything we do and then some."

"We can still do this," Bex chimed.

Bex, Macey, and Zach began to muse while Liz pulled out some flashcards to study. I felt my pocket once more and couldn't help but want to read the letter. "I'll meet you guys back at the room."

Before they could say anything, I got up and walked towards the door. I made my way over to one of my favorite secret passageways which was internal, so it never got blocked off during the great secret passageway purge.

Once inside I carefully made my way to a section by a window so I had some light to read. I pulled the curious brown letter out and opened the envelope. The paper inside was meticulously folded.

_Dear Cammie, There is something very important that you need to know. I can't write it in this letter in case it gets misplaced or intercepted, but as soon as I return, we will talk. It is critical that you stay at school. Please. You have rarely listened to me before about this, but please, Cammie, do not leave school grounds! –Mom_

I fell against the wall thinking. Why would my mom send me such a cryptic message? My mom must have something really big to tell me because she normally would have just waited until she returned to tell me. Sending notes isn't exact good trade craft and can be very dangerous in the field. Of course, when the note says as little as my mother's did, it doesn't really matter.

* * *

When I finally got back to my room, Zach and my roommates were sitting in the bean bags (the ones that used to get their own corner until Macey arrived) already planning. Bex asked, "Hey, where have you been? I've been an hour since dinner, Cam!"

"Oh, uh, I had to go see someone…" I trailed off. I couldn't help but think back to the letter. Something was very off.

Bex didn't seem to believe me, but I sat down with them anyways and asked, "So what are we doing?"

Macey excitedly began, "So, I've got the private jet, right? So, we'll take that to France and then a train to Italy to throw them off for at least a bit.

"Then, we'll stay here," she pointed to a nondescript hotel on a map that was only a few blocks from the embassy. "We'll have to make the particulars of the jailbreak there because we don't have shifts or particulars, but we'll leave with enough time for that."

I sighed, "So what about leaving school? When are you guys thinking?"

Zach pulled out a calendar, "Well, we've coordinated dates with the school calendar, Buckingham's calendar, and what we could find of the maintenance staff shifts, and we think one week from today is our best window."

"Wait," I stopped, "I know why we want to rescue Preston, but why do you?"

Zach sighed, "You guys are going to go anyways, so you might as well have a good operative along."

"You're right, that's why we're taking Bex," Macey retorted.

"So, anyways, in a week, Professor Buckingham will be at Langley for the day," Zach explained.

I was a little confused, "She just leaves that kind of stuff in an unsecure calendar?"

"No, but Langley has it on their most secure data base," Liz smiled proudly.

Macey continued, "The maintenance schedule has a guard shift at 22:39 which will be the perfect time to sneak out."

"Mr. Solomon doesn't keep a calendar unsurprisingly, so he'll be the toss-up," Bex admitted.

When you go to a school for spies, you start to expect your friends to hack into secure data bases, but it amazed me how much better we got every year at sneaking out. I was almost disappointed that I had to let their hard work go to waste.

"There's just one problem," I began. "I can't go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, hey! Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed, or even just opened and then closed the page! I'm so honored that anyone would even open this, so thank you! Here's another build-up chapter for you. Sorry that it's a little shorter, but better short than filler, right? So enjoy! (hopefully...)**

* * *

Pros and Cons of Following Your Mother's Order to Stay at School

(A list assembled by Cameron Ann Morgan)

Pro: You get to avoid any impending danger.

Con: You're letting your friends walk into that danger alone.

Pro: Your friends might think you're doing the right thing by listening to your mom.

Con: Or they might hate you for letting them go alone.

Pro: You can avoid getting yelled at upon return.

* * *

At breakfast the next morning, I dove straight into the stack of Belgian waffle that our chef was famous for. Mr. Smith walked around to pass schedules down the table as we ate. Mine was printed on blue evapopaper which doesn't taste like cotton candy to my disappointment. I stared down at the schedule in my hands and it struck me: I was graduating this year. Graduating. _This _year.

Mr. Smith also announced to the table of seniors that there would be a meeting for us after classes this afternoon to discuss graduation details and the future. Bex must have been as surprised as I was because half of a Belgian waffle plopped out of her mouth when her jaw dropped with shock. Liz winced, and I'm pretty sure I heard Macey mutter something about Madame Dabney being ashamed.

Zach, however, was the first to break the silence: "So Cove-Ops first thing in the morning, eh?"

I nodded, and Bex replied, "How great is it going to be with have Mr. Solomon back?"

I looked up at the teachers' table and saw a weak Mr. Solomon eating. He definitely wasn't the same as before the night at Blackthorne, but he was getting stronger every day. I wondered if class would be different, or just the same old Mr. Solomon exposing us to new depths of spy craft every day.

"Cammie!" I jerked back to the conversation at the sound of Liz's squeal.

"Hm? What?"

"Are you ready to go?" Bex repeated slowly.

I nodded and stood to leave. Everyone but Liz made their way back down to Sublevel 3.

"Hello, ladies," Mr. Solomon said as he entered the room.

"Hi, Mr. Solomon!" Our response was far peppier than normal.

He sat on the corner of his desk with one leg on the ground and the other hanging off like he always did. His cane sat unused at the edge of the desk. He sighed and said, "It's fantastic to be back, and I'm sure you'd all love to hear the whole story, but second semester senior year means you've got a few months to get field ready. Let's get down to business! Ms. Fetterman, can you tell me how to..."

* * *

Bex and I slowly sauntered out of the P&E Barn after class. We did a pretty nice job of beating each other up for the first day back. It would take some time to get used to P&E again because I was finally allowed back on the non-restrict workout list. Most of my bruises had healed which made getting beat up by your best British friend easier, but there were still scars particularly on my arms which left a painful reminder of summer.

Liz merrily skipped up to us, "Time to talk about the future! I'm so excited!"

"Ah, and I'd almost forgotten about the meeting. Oh wait, no, you've mentioned it ten times today!" Bex groaned.

I sighed, "We might as well not be late."

The meeting was held in a rarely used classroom behind the science labs. It was a tight squeeze, but the entire senior class and most of the staff managed to fit. Professor Buckingham stood at the front near an old chalkboard with some equations left on from what I assumed was a class years ago. Mr. Smith was with her along with Mr. Moscowitz who wielded a plethora of pamphlets and brochures. Mr. Solomon leaned against the corner with his cane in hand.

After arguing with Mr. Moscowitz about where the best lighting for speaking was, Professor Buckingham began, "Welcome! And congratulations on making it to your final semester at the Gallagher Academy!"

There were cheers and applause and smiles all around. It seemed that Bex and I were the only ones that looked unfazed. Professor Buckingham continued, "Now, you must all begin thinking about what you'd like to do upon graduating. There are, of course, many options."

Professor Buckingham began to talk about the different agencies we could apply for a position with directly out of high school such as the CIA, FBI, Secret Service, DEA, CSS, and MI6 (for our British classmate) along with college options (which few Gallagher girls chose). Mr. Moscowitz scurried around passing out pamphlets for the various agencies while Buckingham explained the long application process that we needed to begin. When I finally had all the brochures in my hands, I noticed the CIA one floated to the top. Even though I had always wanted to follow my parents' footsteps in the CIA, now that it was so real, I felt confused. I wanted to give the brochures back and head back to the sophomore year intro to Cove-Ops class. I closed my eyes and saw Josh for the first time in months. I saw his trash, the bottle, my "cat," pie, a corsage, and the earrings.

I looked back up and noticed Mr. Solomon staring at me. He must have seen my worried look.

I snapped back into reality when I heard the screeches of chairs. Everyone was getting up to leave. I left the brochures on the seat and followed Bex out quickly. "Hey, Bex. What are you going to do?"

"I guess it's all MI6 from here, right?" she said.

I shrugged, "It's just so _real _now. I don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

**Good evening! Here's chapter 4 for you. Another short one, sorry. :( But, we're getting a lot of the set up out of the way, so the plots can really start to unfold soon. Anyways, thanks everyone for reading! I appreciate it! And for your reading, here's a physics joke: Schrödinger gets pulled over by a cop one day, and the cop says, "Sir, did you know that there's a dead cat in the trunk?" and Schrödinger says, "Well, I do now!" Ha! Gets me every time! I'm currently listening to Tears for Fears while writing Chapter 5, so, yeah, enjoy... -Tickgrey**

* * *

"It's time!" Bex called. Zach, Macey, and Bex were dressed and ready to go. They each had a backpack and a small duffle with supplies for their trip to Rome.

Macey turned to me, "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

I swung my feet back and forth as they dangled off the bed. I sighed, "Nope, my mom had a reason for telling me to stay like that. The note wasn't like her at all, so I think she _really _means it this time."

"We'll make contact when we arrive," Bex assured me. "And we'll keep you updated on our plans."

I nodded. "Take the passageway in the library down to ground level. They didn't seal it off since it doesn't lead directly outside, but it'll get you close enough. Plus, you're less likely to see Mr. Solomon."

They nodded and continued to finish their preparations. Zach took my hand and pulled me aside while Macy and Bex reviewed all the electronic equipment once more with Liz. His eyes looked sad when he said, "I wish you were coming."

"Me too," I admitted.

I thought he was going to say more, but instead he pulled me close and kissed me. For a whole minute. I wished we could have just stayed like that forever, but Bex interrupted us with, "We've _really_ got to go now, Zach!"

He quickly said goodbye to me. Bex threw his gear over and the three of them were gone before I could change my mind. I suddenly knew what it felt like to be Liz who always waited back at school when we went off on missions and adventures. It was a weird feeling.

* * *

"Can I help you, Joe?" Madame Dabney asked in COW the next day. I turned to see Mr. Solomon standing in the doorway.

"I need Cameron Morgan for a little while," he said. I flinched knowing exactly why. I looked at Madame Dabney hoping she would say that learning the proper way to polish silver in Mali was more important than whatever Mr. Solomon had in mind, but she nodded, and I knew I was sunk.

I got up and followed him out. I was about to start apologizing when I realized we were headed towards Professor Buckingham's office. When we got there, I saw that Liz was already shaking in the corner. Professor Buckingham looked up and got cross almost immediately. "Ms. Morgan! Would you care to explain where Ms. Baxter, Ms. McHenry, and Mr. Goode are?"

"I thought you were supposed to be at Langley!" I stuttered. My spy skills seemed to have escaped me. I knew I'd be kicking myself later for saying that.

Professor Buckingham looked confused, but continued, "Where are they?"

"I, well, they're, I don't know?" Technically I didn't know where they were at that exact moment, so I let myself work off of that.

"You don't know," she restated calmly. I nodded as though my strategy was actually working even though I knew it totally wasn't.

Mr. Solomon was quick to jump on me, "Not where are they now. Where are they going?"

I stumbled for a few seconds but then came up with, "They're going to France."

I snuck a glance at Liz who looked even more terrified than before I told my half-truth. "What are they going to do there?" Mr. Solomon asked. He must have noticed the wheels turning in my head again because he added, "And please stop trying to avoid the truth."

"Alright, they're catching a train to Rome," I admitted. Liz breathed a sigh of relief; I guess the truth really did set her free.

"The embassy?" Professor Buckingham asked even though she already knew the answer. I nodded which also seemed unnecessary. She quickly turned to Mr. Solomon and said, "We'll have to contact some assets in the area."

He nodded and then turned to me. "Why aren't you with them?"

"The letter," I said assuredly. It was a stupid question; why else would I stay? Mr. Solomon looked confused and Professor Buckingham looked unsatisfied. They didn't know! "Wait, you guys didn't know what it said?"

Professor Bucking ham shook her head, "I was instructed not to read it."

Mr. Solomon still looked confused, so I assumed that he was never even told it existed. I explained, "My mother left a letter for me. It said I needed to stay at school no matter what. She didn't say why, but it seemed pretty important for her to leave a letter, so I decided to listen."

Professor Buckingham looked at Mr. Solomon who returned her confused look. I realized that neither of them knew why I had to stay at school either. I don't really know why, but suddenly I blurted, "Where's my mom?"

The bell for a class change rang out of nowhere, and Liz jumped up in the corner. Professor Buckingham turned back to us and instructed, "You girls should head to your next class."

She gave me a look as if to tell me that there was to be no arguing with her today. Liz and I said, "Yes ma'am," and headed off towards the labs.

* * *

"Cammie? Liz? Can you guys hear us?" I heard Bex's familiar voice say through the crackling.

Our connection was pretty awful on the cell phone that lay in front of us, but considering all the cell jammers and protective layers set up to render cell phones obsolete, the phone was an impressive creation by one Elizabeth Sutton. I replied, "Yep, but barely!"

"We've established a base site at the planned hotel in Rome," Macey began. "We began our reconnaissance already, and all signs are looking good. We should be good to go in a few days."

"You might not have that much time," I explained. Liz chimed in to explain the sheer terror that was our meeting with Buckingham and Solomon. I finished, "They're sending 'assets in the area' to either get you or watch you or something."

Zach said, "Looks like we need to step up the speed. Do you have any idea who's in the area?"

"Nope," I admitted. "But whoever it is, they've got to be close to us because not many people were looped in about the list."

"That makes sense," Macey said, "We'll do our best."

"Okay, stop talking to me then and get busy!" I joked. We said our goodbyes and hung up. Liz and I, though immersed in an unauthorized, complex overseas mission, still had piles of homework that were untouched, so we decided to hit the books.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! Thanks for reading! I'm having a lot of fun writing this! I'll keep this short and sweet this time, so enjoy! -Tickgrey**

* * *

Plan for Operation Pasta

(By Operatives Morgan and Sutton)

Operatives Morgan and Sutton would run point in the bedroom at the Gallagher Academy. Operative Sutton would also do any technological magic that needed to be done along the way. Operatives Goode, McHenry, and Baxter would breach the building at 10:18 local time. Operatives Goode and Baxter would take care of the guards, security, and securing the escape route while Operative McHenry secured the target. An escape van would be parked a block from the embassy to be used if leaving on foot was not an option. If all went according to plan, the operative would begin at 11:52 local time when the Operatives stepped onto the train to Greece for the flight home.

* * *

"Alright, we're going to do a comms check," Liz instructed. "Bookworm, check!"

"Chameleon, check," I said with a pang of sorrow. I desperately wished I could be on the streets of Rome with my friends as I heard them check in.

"Alright, we're ready to go. Commencing Operative Pasta on your word, Duchess," Liz said clearly and calmly like a pro.

"Alright, 3…2…1…" There was a soft click as everyone set their watches together. Bex chirped, "And we're a go!"

My CoveOps homework was on my desk next to all the operation papers, but I couldn't focus on it. Even though I had absolutely nothing to do during this mission, I wanted to be completely focused just in case they needed me. "When are we going to start hearing stuff again?" I impatiently asked again.

"We're cutting off communication with them until they either need our help or are preparing their exit," Liz explained for perhaps the millionth. "The signal for the cell connection is much strong and much more easily detected than the comms units alone."

I sighed and sat back in my chair. My thoughts drifted back to our first real operation in sophomore year. I could still clearly remember Mr. Solomon telling us to find out what Mr. Smith drank with his funnel cakes. I thought that mission would be the toughest assignment I'd ever take, but I was beginning to realize that was a cake walk. Even after my comms unit was destroyed by the dunk tank water, I still was able to keep visual communication with my team, and I was walking distance from the school. The whole thing seemed so silly looking back.

"Earth to Cammie!" I heard Liz squeal. "We're live!"

"How long was I asleep for?" I groggily asked, but Liz shushed me.

"Bookworm, are we clear to leave by foot?" I heard Bex ask.

Liz scanned the cameras one last time before saying, "All clear. Proceed by foot!"

Everything seemed to be fine until I heard screeching tires. I panicked, "Duchess! What was that?"

"Looks like nothing… we're going to proceed with caution, over," Bex said cautiously through the increasing static.

Then was Zach's frantic and barely audible voice, "My position is compromised. Duchess, prepare for the back-up extraction!"

"Copy! Heading towards the van," she said calmly. How could they be so calm right now? I was beginning to realize that it was far worse listening to a mission with your friends unfold than being in one no matter how dangerous it could possible be.

"We're compromised. Peacock, take the package directly to the safe point after evasion techniques! Copy?" Bex said a few minutes later. There was no response, only the loud static. "Peacock, do you copy? Peacock?"

"No response from Peacock. I'm going to double back and do a sweep," I just barely heard Zach say.

"Be careful!" I couldn't help but say. There was nothing on the other end. "Guys?"

Liz was getting worried too. She frantically jabbed away at her keyboard. I continued to try to make connection stronger, "Duchess? Copy? Peacock!?"

"Where are they, Liz?" I screamed. She shook her head in disbelief. Liz was beginning to look like the same girl I saw in Professor Buckingham's office. I was too actually. Neither of us had ever had a mission go wrong like this. Liz frantically scanned every camera angle she had access too. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she tried to gain access to any camera within a five-mile radius of the embassy.

"Alright, ten minutes until we initiate emergency protocol," I said trying to regain my composure.

I tried to assure myself that they would be okay. I breathed heavily. Just ten minutes. How hard could it be? I flashed back to the first operation. We were compromised, done. Mr. Smith had seen Bex and Liz and was taking them back to school. All I could think about was completing the mission. I was so proud of myself for getting that bottle even after the mission seemed blown. I remember stepping into Mr. Solomon's classroom almost smiling when he began flipping through the images on the projector. As each picture flashed, I watched my friends get tortured. _Crash!_ I felt the bottle slip from my hand and strike the cold, concrete floor. I opened my eyes breathing heavily. I couldn't let myself think the worst. I peaked at my watch, "Liz, it's been ten minutes."

Almost instantly, I heard through the static a faint, "Chameleon, you copy?"

"Yes! Yes! I copy!" I sighed with relief. A wave of cool air seemed to cover me just like when Mr. Solomon pulled back the screen revealing Bex and Liz sitting untouched in the closet of his classroom. "What's going on over there?"

"Looks like we're clean. It was probably just a false alarm. We can review the camera angles later, but we should be clean," I heard Bex explain. "Mission accomplished. We'll call you guys when we get to Greece."

* * *

"Ms. Morgan! Ms. Sutton!" I heard Professor Buckingham call. I was getting far too familiar with her snaps. Liz and I turned to see her looking even more frantic than normal. She ordered, "Follow me!"

We nearly ran to keep up with her brisk pace as we pushed through droves of hungry Gallagher girls on their way to lunch. My stomach growled too, but instead Liz and I made our way to the firing squad. When we got to her office, Mr. Solomon, Bex, Macey, and Zach were already waiting. But we stepped in, I noticed another body in the room, Aunt Abby?

"Well, now that we're all here," Professor Buckingham began as she sat down behind her desk, "What were you thinking?"

We looked at each other unaware of who should start taking the blows. Normally I stepped up to cover for us, but this was Professor Buckingham, not my mom. I looked at Bex who sighed and said, "We couldn't just leave him there!"

Macey nodded, "You guys weren't doing anything, so it was up to us!"

"And because of you five, there is now a boy sitting in the classroom next door who knows about the Gallagher Academy along with the secret list and a whole plethora of other knowledge very few _spies_ even know," when Professor Buckingham listed everything we had done wrong, it sounded a lot worse than when I weighed the negatives of Operation Pasta before we started.

Macey added, "Technically Preston knew all that since this summer when Cammie told him."

"Thanks," I muttered sarcastically.

Mr. Solomon joined Professor Buckingham with, "And if it weren't for Abigail, it is entirely possible the four of you would be in the hands of the Circle now."

"So the mission actually was compromised?" Zach asked. I couldn't tell if he was happy to be there or upset that he hadn't realized the mission was compromised.

Abby nodded. "I managed to take out the operatives before they could get to you guys."

"But, why were they there?" I asked.

"Well, for one, you were trying to kidnap one of their heirs. They don't take that too lightly," she answered. She sighed before continuing, "And, they vowed revenge against you, Cammie. They must have thought you were with them in Rome."

I swallowed hard. "So, when Mom said-?"

Abby nodded. "We were going after some of the names on the list. In the course of our mission, we captured a mid-level operative in December who flipped a few weeks ago. He told us that one of their top priorities is killing you for destroying most of their organization."

* * *

I don't really know how we got out of there in one piece, but as we filed out of the office and towards the dining hall, I heard Aunt Abby call, "Squirt?"

I turned and walked back towards her, "Yeah?"

She smiled, "Believe it or not, I'm proud of you."

"But I didn't actually do anything," I said perplexed.

"Exactly," she said. "Sometimes the hardest part of being a spy is knowing when to sit out an operation."

"Aunt Abby?" I asked. "Where's Mom?"

She began walking away as she said, "Working."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, guys. Really short chapter here. I wanted this chapter to have more, but I couldn't quite get it done tonight, so I'm making that stuff its own chapter for tomorrow. So, here's a snip it, I hope you enjoy! -Tickgrey :)**

* * *

It wasn't until after dinner that Macey, Zach, Bex, Liz, and I had a moment alone to finally talk. Macy started, "What do you think is going to happen to Preston?"

I shrugged, "I've got no idea."

"I mean, he's only got a semester of school before he graduates high school. Then he can go to college away from his parents," Macey figured through.

"Yeah, but where's it going to be safe for him to finish school?" Liz asked. It was a pretty reasonable question. Preston couldn't just go to a normal school without some kind of protection which couldn't be provided by the CIA because they didn't know why Preston was in danger. "And he's not trained at all like Zach was, so he can't just come to school here."

Zach stared off out the window not really listening to our thoughts on Preston. He finally said, "I can't believe the mission was compromised. I thought for sure I covered all the critical points. I should have listened to my first instincts."

I totally understood why he was feeling bad. It was his job to make sure everything was clear, and he told the team everything was clear. I tried to calm him, "They're good. Really good. And you saw them initially which is good. Macey and Preston got to the hotel safe, so you did do something right."

He faked a smile. "Thanks for trying."

Liz shuddered, "When we lost contact with you guys, I was terrified."

I nodded, "All I could think of was the Mr. Smith mission from sophomore year."

"I did too," Bex admitted. "When the comms unit blew out, I thought I was dead for sure."

I'd never seen Bex quite like this before. She was quiet and reserved. I think she was still reeling from the mission. It made sense to me because it must have been really unsettling to know that you were minutes away from being captured by the world's most dangerous criminal organization.

* * *

We didn't hear anything about Preston for over a week. None of us saw him around the halls, so we all figured he was sent to some secret safe house or even Langley for questioning. Bex suggested that Professor Buckingham sent him back to the embassy because it was technically kidnapping, but that seemed unlikely to me. There's no way they'd give up an heir to the Circle. Macey just couldn't wait any longer, so she one day, she sought out Professor Buckingham.

"Professor?" Macey asked innocently when we found her in the hallways.

Professor Buckingham turned and saw us approaching her. She must have known exactly what we were about to ask because she just said, "Follow me."

We walked past the labs to the mostly unused classrooms in the back (which I was beginning to realize were used a lot more than I realized.) She opened one of the doors, and to my surprise, Preston was sitting there with a laptop.

"Preston!" Macey exclaimed.

He looked up and smiled, "Hey, Mace!"

"But, what?" Liz asked Professor Buckingham.

"Mr. Winters will be spending the rest of the semester here taking classes online so he can graduate on time in the spring," she explained. "He already knows about the school's secrets, so there's not much harm in allowing him to stay here for a few months."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello again! Thanks so much for reading. Really. I am forever in your debt. Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has followed/reviewed/favorited this story. It means a lot to me. Please, please, please keep the reviews coming! If you like it, please tell me (it helps my ego.) If you hate it, please tell me (it helps keep my ego in check.) In all seriousness, I love positive reviews because I know that someone wants to read this, and I love negative reviews because I know what I'm doing wrong, so keep them coming! :) I've got a four day weekend this week, so lots of time for writing hopefully! Happy Valentine's Day! Lots of love, Tickgrey**

* * *

"Now, you have to understand, this was a different era entirely. It was perfectly acceptable to use a mule…" I vaguely recall hearing Madame Dabney say. I was in a sort of semi-conscious state. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I would have actually really enjoyed hearing about whatever Madame Dabney did with a mule, but I just couldn't stay awake. I had way too much work last night to get any semblance of sleep.

"Oh, Mr. Solomon! Can we help you?" Madame Dabney asked politely when he appeared at the doorway.

For such an incredible spy, he didn't look so good. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was visibly ruffled. He merely said, "I need Cameron."

Madame Dabney nodded, and I walked out the door. He led me to an empty part of the hallway and lowered his voice to a near whisper, "Cammie, it's your mom. She's missing."

I'm not entirely sure what happened next. I remember being incredibly dizzy and nearly fainting on the spot. But I looked into Mr. Solomon's eyes and knew that he was feeling just as sick. I managed to stutter, "Since when?"

"She missed her first call in a week ago," he started barely louder than a mumble. "But that isn't completely abnormal. Today we got word from her team that they think she's been taken."

I knew what the answer was, but for some reason I asked anyways, "By whom?"

"The Circle."

* * *

Mr. Solomon led me to Professor Buckingham's office where she looked far older than she had the last time I saw her. I knew stress like this was weighing. Finally, I saw Aunt Abby sitting on the chair in the corner. She was on the verge of tears. I'd never quite seen her like this.

"Hey, squirt," she managed to muster. I could tell that even trying to act that cheerful was painful. It was in stark contrast to when I heard her say 'Hey, Squirt" sophomore year when she was sent to protect Macey. That was the first time I had seen her since Dad's death. I didn't really have a response to her greeting, so I merely looked at her.

Professor Buckingham must have noticed that I was about to collapse, so she motioned towards the couch against the wall. I sat down and briefly shut my eyes. I wished so much that when I opened my eyes, it would all be better. That my mom would be back in her office making a disgusting (and potentially lethal) homemade dinner on Sunday night. That she would be there to comfort me when I felt like this.

Professor Buckingham began, "We're very confident that she is alive still. Langley is actively searching for her, so if this is a misunderstanding, we'll know soon enough. She was on an op with Agent Townsend and the Baxters. They had been taking down and capturing high-level Circle targets all winter. We feared that they might have been compromised after a mission went bad, but they appeared to have gotten away clear at the time. We think that's when the Circle first got sight of your mother."

I knew that she was trying to cheer me up by making me feel in the loop or making me think she was just lost, but it was difficult to listen to anything she said. My thoughts couldn't help but drift anywhere but the stark room I was left in. I remembered back to my mom's face when she told me that dad was never coming home. She was agonized. It was a side of her I had never seen before then nor had I ever seen since. I felt exactly like that now.

All I wanted to do was get out of there, so I swallowed, "Is that all?"

Professor Buckingham looked worried, but she nodded solemnly.

"Excuse me," I said. Aunt Abby and Mr. Solomon both looked like they wanted to stop me and comfort me, but I flew out of the room before they could make a move to stop me. I made my way to the nearest working passageway, and I crawled as far in as I could. I didn't stop until I reached my favorite spot: a small, dingy corner with a small window overlooking the lake. I just sat down and cried.

* * *

"Squirt?" I heard the familiar voice say. "You back here?"

There was no point in trying to hide or run because she obviously knew I was there. They did, after all, have cameras in the outside halls. I replied, "Yeah."

Aunt Abby crawled into the light and sat next to me. She sighed and said, "She'll be back in no time."

I looked at her, my eyes filled with doubt and exhaustion. I was so tired from feeling sad and crying. She simply continued, "We have pretty good reasons to believe that she's still alive. Unlike when Matt was captured, they're not looking for information from her or looking to silence her."

"Then why did they capture her?" I asked. My voice crackled and sputtered, but I managed to get the sentence out.

Abby sighed and replied, "There's not really an easy way to tell you this, but we think they're trying to draw you out. You're essentially responsible for the chaos in their organization caused by both us and the splinter group, so they want you dead. They don't forget this kind of stuff."

"So, if they get me, they'll let her go or something?" I asked.

Abby must have heard something in my voice she didn't like because she said, "Don't even think about it, Cam. We're taking care of it. As soon as we zero in on her location, we'll send in an extraction team."

I noticed something startling in her words; she seemed hopeless. She seemed like she didn't believe we ever would zero in on her location. I think I started crying again, but I had cried so much that it was almost an unconscious act now.

Aunt Abby offered her hand and said, "Want to go get something to eat?"

I shook my head, "Can I just be alone for awhile?"

She nodded. She added as she made her way out, "When you're ready to talk more, I'm here."

* * *

I'm not really sure when I fell asleep, but I remember dreaming. I was little again. Mom took me to the zoo. We were looking at the elephants when I disappeared from her view. I was only sitting a few meters away on a park bench, but I was a pavement artist. Not even my own super-spy mother could see me. I remembered watching her as she frantically looked around for me, but I didn't move. I just sat there watching her. I wished now that I could go back and hug her. I wished that I never made her feel like she had lost me, because I know knew how awful the feeling was.


	8. Chapter 8

**And here comes chapter 8! I promised myself I wouldn't eat lunch until I was finished, but my mom made some fantastic steak, so I kind of retracted that promise... I'm hoping to get another chapter up tonight, but I'll see how today goes. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was both fun and painful to write, but that's the best kind of writing, right? Know that there is some real action-y stuff coming up very soon. Thanks for reading! -Tickgrey**

* * *

When a finally woke up, the sun was barely peaking over the walls surrounding the school. I always thought there was something calming about watching the beams of light streak across the grounds at daybreak, but today, the sensation escaped me. I wanted the sun to sneak back under the horizon as though the world should stay dark while I grieved. I checked my watch to see that it was still long before my classmates would be getting up for classes. I wasn't really certain about anything in my life right then, but I really didn't want to have to face my friends.

My cheeks were still stained with dry tears. My skirt was covered in dust and dirt. My hair must have been a mess. And more than anything, I wanted to curl and start crying again, but it felt like I had nothing left in my tear ducts. As much as I would have liked to think it was all just one horrible nightmare, I couldn't even let myself pretend. Was this what Mom felt like this summer?

I knew I couldn't hide forever, so I slipped out of the passageway before nearly running into Mr. Solomon who had been sitting on the window seat near the entrance. He had been sleeping apparently because he gave a groggy, "Hi, Cammie."

I couldn't bring myself to reply for some reason, so I just say down next to him. He put his arm around me and said, "She'll be back here in no time."

I looked into his eyes and saw something I rarely saw: fear. I knew that he didn't really believe it. I'd already lost one parent this way, so my eyes flickered with determination when I said, "I know."

He sighed, "This is what it felt like." I looked up not totally understanding. "When your father went missing, this is exactly what it felt like. Only, it was easier then. I didn't know you yet. I knew Matt had a daughter, and I knew Rachel quite well, but it wasn't as personal then."

If I wasn't on the verge of tears before, I definitely was then. It took all my might (both teenage girl and spy) to hold them back like floodgates standing up against rushing waters twice as strong. For some reason the only thing I could say was, "Does everyone know?"

He shook his head, "Not yet. Not if you don't want them to."

I nodded. I wasn't really sure if I did want them to or not. On one hand, it would be really nice for them to comfort me or just to have someone to talk to about this. But, on the other hand, I didn't want them to think of me like they had last semester: as a nut job ready to crack at any moment. For now, I just wanted to be alone in my battle.

Mr. Solomon turned to me and tried to perk up a little, "Come on, let's see if we can get some waffles before everyone else shows up."

We ate in silence. Neither of us wanted to pick at the wounds anymore, so we just sat and ate. My head was finally a little clearer as I thought about what to do. I had to go back to class or my friends would get suspicious if they weren't already. After all, I hadn't slept in our room last night, and I had disappeared from COW for the rest of the afternoon. But part of me wanted to run. To run and get my mom back.

* * *

When I finally got up to my room, my roommates were already awake. I knew I must have looked horrible, and their expressions confirmed it. A quick glance in the mirror revealed deep bags under my eyes which were starkly contrasted by the paleness of my face. I barely looked alive. It reminded me of when I came back home with autumn, only then it had been cause by malnutrition and torture. This was a much different kind of torture.

"Where have you been?" Bex asked. She seemed both curious and even a little upset. My friends hated when I did anything alone now. After the fiascoes of last year, they never knew what I was about to do.

"You look _awful_," Macey pointed out though I really didn't need her to.

I drew up all of my lying skills before shrugging and saying, "I had to take some psych evaluations. They're routine after the head trauma I had."

None of my roommates seemed to believe me, but they knew that was all they were getting out of me for now.

I knew I needed to change my grime-ridden clothes, but instead I just sat on my bed and stared at a picture frame on my nightstand. It was my mom, my dad, and I. It was the last picture I had of the three of us. We were sitting in our old living room. Smiling. We were actually smiling. It was almost hard to remember the last time I really felt that happy. It was probably before my dad died. Before I knew my parents were both spies. I knew I would never feel that same innocent happiness that I felt in that picture again.

I finally noticed my roommates were all staring at me. There were a few tears rolling down my cheeks, and I knew I must have looked very odd in the moment.

Liz gaped, "Seriously, are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded trying to get it together. "I already ate, so you guys can go ahead."

They didn't look like they believed me, so I shooed them more vigorously. "I swear that I've eaten!"

Liz accepted my answer and started making her way to the door. Macey hesitantly joined her, but Bex didn't budge. She called to them, "I'll meet you lot down there."

She turned to me. I started to walk towards my dresser to pull out a fresh set of clothes. They felt good in my hands. I changed in the bathroom, but when I came back out Bex gave me a very stern look. "What's wrong, Cam?"

"Nothing," I lied. She didn't believe me so I conceded, "Okay, something's up, but I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" Bex asked.

"Can't." It pained me to lie like that because technically I could tell her, but what was I supposed to say? 'Actually, my mom's missing, and I just don't want to tell you!' didn't quite seem like the right thing to say.

She sighed, "Fine. I'll see you in CoveOps, then?"

I nodded, but I really didn't want to have to face classes and other students.

* * *

When I walked into the classroom at the end of SubLevel 3's twisting hallway, I had my self pretty composed. I made my way to my seat trying to avoid conversations or eye contact with anyone. I was pretty sure any of the almost-trained spies in the room would have been able to see right through my disguise.

Bex sat down next to me and looked me over. I knew she knew there was a lot that I wasn't telling her. Macey also grabbed her chair near us. She knew something was up too, but she was acting far more subtle than Bex was. I figured they were going to try two very different approaches to getting me to talk.

Mr. Solomon walked in before either could say a word. He was noticeably different than yesterday. His hair was ruffled, he relied entirely on his cane to walk, and his eyes were tired. Somehow, he gained some composure and wrote on the board 'Torture.'

My eyes must have flickered when he wrote it because when I caught his eyes for a minute, he gave a knowing look. Neither of us wanted to cover this topic, not today at least. Rather than give one of his normal lectures, he passed some textbooks down the rows and said, "Next up on the curriculum is torture unfortunately."

I'm pretty sure no one else in the room knew quite why it was so unfortunate right now. He continued, "Rather than tell you guys what it's like, I'm going to let you read about it today."

I heard some groans. People were having faint reminders of Townsend's classes. But Mr. Solomon finished, "Tomorrow we will begin more practical studies of the topic. But for today, please read the chapter and be prepared for a quiz tomorrow."

When I got a book from Tina, who was sitting in front of me, I merely set it on the corner of my desk. I didn't even think about opening it. I just sat there and stared at it for the rest of class as if opening it would bring my mom more pain or suffering. As if knowing what my mom was probably going through would make me hurt worse which I knew it would. So I sat there and avoided looking at anyone.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well here goes chapter 9! You could say it's _in the books!_ (*ba dum chhh*) As you may have noticed, I like bad puns. A lot. Anyways, I really hope you guys are enjoying my story! I'm enjoying writing these for sure. I'm definitely in a super-spy mood after watching _Skyfall_ with the family last night (and I highly recomend it. The movie that is, not watching it with your family because if your family is anything like mine, you'll have to listen to your mom sing 'Let the skyfaaaaaall' every five minutes.) I do need to get more written each day, but I'm enjoying doing nothing during this vacation way too much. So, happy reading! Tickgrey**

* * *

As I walked to Professor Buckingham's office the next day, I was practically on autopilot. My feet knew the way to go, and I had no strength to tell them any differently. That was pretty much how it had been lately. I just stumbled through my classes. I barely ate, and I rarely talked to people when I didn't have to.

The atmosphere in the Professor Buckingham's office was surprisingly tense when I arrived. Though I had heard raised voices and even a few shouts while I was walking up to the room, Mr. Solomon, Abby, and Professor Buckingham stopped their heated conversation far too abruptly when I got there.

"Welcome, Cameron! We were waiting for you," Professor Buckingham said. Her tone led me to believe that she was hiding something, but she was too good of a spy for me to be able to gather anything else. I let it slide for now.

"Here I am," I managed to muster. My normal sarcasm was completely gone as if drained as soon as I had heard about my mom.

Abby sent me a worried glance, but let Professor Buckingham continue. "We thought that you'd like to know that we've received the demands for your mother's return earlier today."

Mr. Solomon explained, "Just know that we're not going to comply, but we will be doing everything to get her back nevertheless."

I nodded, "So what are they?"

Professor Buckingham swallowed hard before saying, "They would like us to hand both you and Preston Winters over."

My heart sank. It wasn't even a hard choice. My mom would do it for me any day of the week. If she died and I had the chance to save her, I'd never forgive myself. "I don't know about Preston, but I'll go."

Abby stopped me before I could say anything else. "No. They're not planning on torturing you; they want to kill you."

I nodded. "I know."

"You're not going," Aunt Abby said sternly. She looked like she'd been crying. I didn't want to argue with her because she was having the same horrible experience that I was. "It's not up for debate. Besides, they asked for both you and Preston."

I'd almost forgotten that Preston was in the building. I was so worried about my mom that I never thought about him again after seeing him in the classroom that day. I really hoped that they weren't planning on telling Preston about the demand.

Mr. Solomon added, "There's no guarantee that they would release her either. The Circle isn't exactly known for keeping up their ends of bargains."

"Isn't it worth a try? Can't we plan some kind of double cross?" I pleaded. I would have given anything to come up with some fail-safe plan to get my mom back.

Mr. Solomon shook his head. "It's far too risky."

"So why I am in here then, if we're not even going to consider it?" I asked annoyed. It was beginning to be obvious that I was willing to risk far more than any of them if it meant my mom would be safe. Did they even care anymore?

Professor Buckingham became even more serious than I'd ever seen her. She said gravely, "To ask you not to try anything stupid."

"What _can _I do then?" I begged.

Mr. Solomon shook his head, "Nothing. Just stay here and keep your head down."

Judging by the looks they gave me, they knew as well as I did that it would be almost impossible for me to sit here and do nothing. So I nodded and pretended to head their advice.

* * *

What to do when your mom is being held by a terrorist organization but you can't do anything:

(A list by Cameron Ann Morgan)

1. Cry. A lot. Because it feels good for awhile.

2. Drink water because in order to cry, you have to have some fluid in you.

3. Make ridiculous rescue plans because even though you can't actually implement them, it feels better to think that you're trying.

4. Attempt to concentrate on schoolwork because you're going to be a field operative in a matter of months, and you've got to get prepared.

5. Give up on that schoolwork because there's not a chance on Earth you can concentrate with your mom in the hands of a terrorist Organization

5. Eventually decide that you can't save your mom from the inside of your school.

* * *

And so it just happened. Without a significant (or even practical) plan or much (or any) preparation, that night I found myself sneaking out. It might sound odd, but sneaking out of school was almost second nature to me now. I practically slipped out once a week sophomore year, and junior year had me sneaking out even with almost all of the passages sealed up. This time was different. I really didn't have a choice. It wasn't to see a boy or to go on a stupid one-person crusade for the truth. This time, it was for mom.

I grabbed my backpack which I had filled with a meager rationing of supplies. All I needed was the essentials: some dried food, a comms unit (just incase), and an assortment of gadgets I'd accumulated throughout the years. As I slipped out of the room, someone stopped me from behind. "Going somewhere?"

I turned to see Bex. Her hands were on her hips in the most dramatic fashion possible. I could almost feel her determination, so I replied in an equally head strong way, "Yeah, I am."

Bex sighed, "Cammie, eventually you're going to have to tell us what's up. We can't just sit here while you starve yourself or forget about all of your homework or just cry all the time!"

"I know," I muttered. I don't know why, but I felt like I had to tell her. "Bex, she's gone." I felt a wave of relief wash over me. It felt good to pass my burden off to someone else, to let someone else fret and worry for once. In a twisted way, I was glad that Bex would now have to suffer with me.

"What? Who?"

I sighed, "My mom. The Circle has her."

And with that, I took off. I didn't want to face Bex anymore. I was ready to take the world on but just not Bex. Facing the Circle was scary, but having to face my closest friend would have been impossible then.


	10. Chapter 10

**And here we are! Hot off the presses, it's chapter 10! Woot! I'm probably a bit too energetic tonight, but I had a lot of Girl Scout cookies and listening to Tears for Fears always gets me in a great mood. You know, I've noticed that these little intros of mine always have ridiculous typos because I don't really edit them, so I went back and changed some pretty weird mistakes earlier today (and yes, I'm sure there's like fifty in this now.) Anyways, I'll let you get to reading. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I like any writing that allows me to work in the word 'pleather', so hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I have. Man, I always feel like I'm giving up a baby when I publish these. Being in the double didget chapters feels great! Anyways, thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting! As always, I write for you guys, so it's great getting feedback (whether positive or negative!) Yours faithfully, tickgrey**

* * *

I woke up abruptly. I panicked for a second. I had almost forgotten where I was until I saw the blue pleather in front of me. I was on an airplane. The old lady next to me look worried about me (probably stemming from the fact that I had practically passed out for the entire flight.) We must have landed because everyone around me was starting to grab their bags to leave. Between the long flight and hours of waiting in the Ronald Reagan International Airport, the only plan I had managed to come up with was getting seen. Every camera, every person, and every customs station was an ally right now. Anything traceable was a friend (which was why I may have grabbed Macey's credit card on the way out.) It was a stupid plan, but it made sense to me. The Circle wanted me dead, and I wanted to find them. It made things so much easier for both of us to just let them find me.

So as I walked through the terminal, I smiled at a camera as if to acknowledge its presence. In fact, I made sure to zig zag my way through _every_ camera I could find. I look up to see a friendly looking sign that hung above the exit reading "_Welcome to London!_" I passed through customs without any troubles (using my own passport) and exited to greet cool the outside air. It felt like freedom.

* * *

I wasn't really sure how this whole drawing out the Circle thing went, but I was pretty sure that all I had to do was get on their radar somehow. The best way that I knew to do this was to get in every camera possible: ATMs, banks, museums, even traffic cameras. I also figured that it was important that the Circle know I was alone. I let it slip to a barista at a coffee shop that my parents weren't with me (though the Circle was the cause of that.) But mostly, I just watched my tail and followed the best CoveOps advice I'd ever been given: _notice things_.

One thing I noticed almost immediately after my parade through the cameras was that I did in fact have a tail, but it definitely wasn't the Circle. I slipped into the closest ally and waited for my tail to catch up. I'm pretty sure I startled him when I called after him as he started to walk by, "Agent Townsend?"

The British agent stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face me. I couldn't quite tell whether it was annoyance or pride that flashed in his familiar blue eyes as he said, "Hello, young lady."

"Why are you following me?" I asked. I was honestly a little shocked he was following me. For one, I hadn't noticed him until now, and according to Professor Buckingham, he had been working with my mother when she was taken, so I assumed he'd either be in meetings to sort things out or actively searching too. But somehow he was standing there tailing _me._

He smiled, "You didn't think anyone would notice that you went missing from that school of yours?"

"That doesn't explain why _you're _here," I dug for more hoping that for once I would get more.

He replied, "Someone's got to make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"Why would I do something stupid?" I asked indignantly.

"Well, you've made sure that you've been in every camera angle from here to the airport," he started. I was a little bit impressed that he'd been following me the whole way. "So if I were to make a gander, I'd say you're trying to be seen by someone. Or a particular group of people?"

I shrugged, "Maybe. Or maybe I just like London in the wintertime."

"Well, in any case, it's been agreed upon that you will not be running around in London on your own on a suicide mission, so," he motioned for me to follow him. I did, but only because I figured there was a plan.

* * *

We walked for at least forty-five minutes making sure to double back or loop around blocks whenever possible. Townsend was particularly careful that both of us stayed far away from any cameras in the area to my dismay. He was making my plan much more difficult to execute.

Eventually we stopped in front of a nice, old albeit completely ordinary apartment building for which Townsend had the key. After three flights of stairs, we stopped at a door labeled _402_. I asked, "Is this a safe house?"

He shook his head, "Nope. This isn't a sanctioned operation, so no mission support."

"So, where are we?" I asked. I got my answer as soon as we got inside. It was a sleek apartment with little character. In fact, it barely looked touched let alone lived in. I knew immediately that it was Townsend's. "You live _here?"_

He nodded as he walked into a back room. "Don't break anything."

There wasn't really anything about that gave me any hints about him despite my best efforts. There were only a few photographs, but I was pretty sure that everyone in them was dead. There was one, however, that stood out from the others. In it, two young boys were playing on an old swing set. It was faded and crumpled, but I was nearly certain that the boy on the right was Townsend. The other boy looked very similar and had the same blue eyes and ruffled hair as Townsend.

"That's my brother," a melancholy voice behind me said. I nearly jumped, but looked behind me to see a very solemn Townsend. "He died with my parents in a car crash."

Suddenly, I knew that Townsend could probably relate to how I was feeling better than most people could. I never really thought about Townsend having a family or even a childhood, but it all made sense now. For some reason I asked, "How old were you?"

He sighed, "Your age." It looked like he was on the verge of tears, but he quickly turned and walked away towards the office in the back. I saw him grab a phone and dial a number from memory. "I've got her. Yes, she's safe. Alright."

"That aunt of yours says hello and also something about killing you," he waved his hand dismissively. He reserved that particular tone for when he was dealing with Abby.

"So what now?" I asked. I was ready to get to work.

He shrugged, "We come up with a plan. A _good _plan."


	11. Chapter 11

**Meh, short chapter here. I've rewritten this one five times trying to get it just right, and I'm not even sure that this was perfect. For some reason I really struggled with this one. I feel like this is the crucial part of the story where anything can change based on how I write it, so I wanted to get it right. I have a very definite endgame, but I'm debating how to get there.**

** So, to answer some questions from reviews, PMs, etc. Yes, Zach has a large part to play later, but just not right now. No, there won't be a whole ton of Zammie or Pacey because I suck at writing lovey dovey stuff, but I will do a little bit here and there. Yes, there is a reason for Preston being in the story. And the reason I have Cammie running away even though it's pretty cliche is because I'm trying to go as by the books as possible, and this is how Ally Carter writes Cammie. Ally Carter has made Cammie into the sort of person who runs when she has to, so that's why I'm doing it too. Plus, there's nothing really exciting to write about from inside the walls of school (at least not in this story.)** **So yeah, that was your little window into the thoughts of the writer.**

**So after this really long intro, please enjoy! -Tickgrey**

* * *

Townsend pretty much spent the rest of the day on the phone. My best guess was that the other end was either MI6 or Professor Buckingham, but unless he decided to clue me in, I was never going to know. Finally, he hung up and turned to me, "It seems your friends also left your school."

"That figures," I shrugged.

"Should we be expecting them to show up here?" he asked suspiciously as if I had some sort of secret way to communicate with them.

I shook my head, "Nope. They've got no idea where I went after I left. They didn't even know I was leaving."

He nodded in approval. It looked like he was about to say something, but suddenly there was a knock on the door. I guess Townsend wasn't accustomed to getting visitors because he immediately pulled out his gun and edged to the door quickly and quietly. He carefully glanced through the peep-hole before sighing and opening the door.

And out of nowhere, there was my aunt and my CoveOps teacher both of whom were just standing there. Abby pushed through the door into the apartment either unaware of the unwelcoming expression on Townsend's face or just completely content to ignore it. Mr. Solomon patted Townsend on the back and said "Ed!" much more cheerily than I would have expected from a man who was hunted by Townsend for years.

Townsend replied, "Joe?" He was a little bewildered and noticeably perturbed.

Abby skipped the casualties and said, "So, what's the plan?"

"There isn't one yet," Townsend shook his head. "Currently we're keeping our heads low because someone thought it would be a good idea to try to draw out the Circle." He said glancing at me in an accusatory manner.

I shrugged. I couldn't tell if she was trying to make Townsend mad or actually agreeing with me, but Abby innocently said, "That what I would have done."

Mr. Solomon tried to restore the focus of the conversation. "So, what we know is that the Circle is holding Rachel at an unknown facility in an unknown location. We know that there are five students away from the Gallagher Academy, and we only know the whereabouts of one of them. And we know that the Circle is likely on its way to London to capture or kill Cameron."

Townsend nodded his head, "We also don't know any information on the whereabouts or activities of the splinter group. They could be the wild card in this."

"Wait-" I tried to get their attention.

Abby, ignoring me, turned to Townsend and quipped, "You say that as though they could be helpful to us!?"

Townsend shrugged, "They could be. They do want the Circle leadership dead, but they could very well have crucial information regarding likely holding places for Rachel. We don't really know anything about their headquarters or facilities."

"No, really, guys-" I was cut off again. I could tell that Townsend and Abby were about to start ripping each other a part any moment.

"Yes, but the Circle as we know it today is on its last breaths. If we help the splinter group, we're helping create a whole other terrorist organization," Mr. Solomon stepped in as if he also sensed the growing tension in the room.

"Look!" I tried to say, but was still ignored by the growing tempers.

"You would know something about that, wouldn't you?" snapped Townsend. His face was growing redder by the minute. I'd never seen three spies as highly trained as this get quite so worked up.

Mr. Solomon looked like he wanted to punch Townsend. All of the calmness from his voice that existed earlier was gone as he said, "Yes, I would!"

"Seriously-" I sighed hoping someone would notice me, but still no one even batted their eyes. They just kept shouting as though it would change anything.

"Oh come on! That's a cheap shot!" Abby yelled at Townsend.

Townsend, however, was having no part in it as he yelled back, "It's bloody well true!"

Finally, I stood up and shouted as loud as I possibly could, "**Hey!**"

Everyone turned in my direction with confused expressions and perhaps a little anger because I had broken up their merry argument. I breathed deeply and said, "Look out the window."

Everyone followed my glance to the street below. There was a woman sitting on a park bench across the street from the apartment. She was looking straight into the window with a blank expression. Her hair was completely different and her sunglasses covered most of her face, but I recognized her immediately. Abby said, "Catherine Goode?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Since the last chapter took so long to get up, I decided to buckle down and get you guys another one up tonight. I think I'm getting back where I want to be. We're probably about 1/3-1/2 of the way done, so just a fair warning there. I'll keep this intro short, so thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting! Love you guys, Tickgrey**

* * *

"Someone should go arrest her or something," Abby said mostly referring to Townsend when she said 'someone' because Townsend was the only person with any actual authority in this country.

He shook his head, "I will not, no, I cannot just go down there and arrest her."

"Why not?" Abby asked defiantly. I was beginning to notice a pattern: all of Abby and Townsend's conversations could have easily been held between toddlers rather than _mature_ adults.

"For one, spies can't just arrest people, and you'd know that if you were a decent one," he began. Abby snorted; I could see the gears in her head turning to think of a comeback. "And we can't just _go _down there. She could be armed, she could have back up, and oh yeah, she's a bloody terrorist!"

Mr. Solomon was quick to jump into the fight as well, but I didn't want to hear any more of it. I slipped out of the back room while they argued. They had hardly noticed me anyways, so I doubted they would care if I slipped out. I don't know why, but I soon found myself sneaking out of the apartment door as well. I flew down the flights of stairs and made my way outside.

I saw Catherine's mouth curl into a smile when she saw the front door of the building open. I walked over to the bench and sat down next to Catherine. I was well aware that I had the bewildered eyes of three spies on me now too through the window.

"What do you possibly want?" I asked her with my best effort to sound annoyed, but in reality, I was just really curious.

She sighed before turning the page in her book which she wasn't actually reading. "I want to make a deal. Just you and me. Those bumbling idiots up there don't need to know at all."

"Maybe I'm wired right now," I said coolly. "How do you know we're really alone?"

She shook her head, "Because I recognize something in you that I see in myself. We're sneaky. We do what must be done to get what we want."

"There's nothing like you in me," I said firmly. This was one area that I wasn't even willing to disagree about. She was completely wrong. "You're willing to kill, steal, and lie for what? For money? For panic?"

She laughed or at least, I think it was a laugh. It was more of a snort combined with a high-pitched chuckle. She said, "Well, we can get into my motives later, but anyways, there's something I want that you can get me."

"Why would I possibly want to get you anything?" I retorted defiantly to hide my growing hope of finding Mom.

"Because I know where your mother is!" she exclaimed as though she was excited to know she had something tangible over me.

I shook my head, "I highly doubt it."

"Why would I lie? You get me what I want, and I tell you what you want to know. How else are you going to get this information? Another bonus is that you getting your mom back means lots of dead Circle members - Circle members that I want dead," she explained. "We can both get what we want."

"What do you want me to get?" I asked. I added some hesitation to my voice, because even though I so badly wanted to deal, I couldn't let her get the upper hand.

She looked around before dropping her voice, "There's a ledger in the one of the SubLevels of the Gallagher Academy. That's all I want."

"What's on the ledger?"

She shrugged, "You can find out for yourself when you get it. I don't care if you read it. Just get it to me in its original condition, and you get to know where your mother is. You'll recognize it; it's got the Cavan seal on it."

I stuttered, "I don't know."

"You can get it and then decide. Look at it, check it out, make copies, I really don't care. If you decide you want to deal after seeing it, just call me," she said as she handed me a scrap of paper. I carefully put it in my pocket. Both of our movements were so discreet that I was pretty sure that no one in the apartment could see it. I certainly didn't want them to think I was a traitor. But was I a traitor by even considering? I sure felt like one.

"Fine. I'll let you know then," I ended the meeting afraid to hear any more. I got up and walked carefully back to the building making sure to look at all possible sniper's perches, hiding spots, and surveillance points. I walked up the flights of stairs as slowly as I possibly could.

When I finally got to the door, I didn't want to face my aunt, CoveOps teacher, and former CoveOps teacher. Unfortunately, the door swung open before I had the chance to run or come up with a creative story.

"What were you thinking?" Abby hissed at me as she pulled me inside. Townsend closed the door and sat down at the table with his hands rubbing his forehead. She continued, "Do you know how risky not to mention stupid that was? You could have gotten killed!"

I was tired of getting treated like this. Like some child who couldn't do anything. So I merely shrugged. Mr. Solomon turned to me and said, "What did she say?"

"What?" I asked coyly. "Oh, she… uh…" I was still a horrible liar especially to a room full of the people I respected most, but this was for mom. "She told me that she had seen me on the cameras."

"And?" Abby asked impatiently.

I sighed, "She told me that the Circle had seen me. I think she was warning me."

"She risked us killing her to… warn you?" Townsend said not believing a word I was saying.

I nodded and sat down trying to avoid direct eye contact. Townsend turned to me and said, "So what did she hand you?"

I shrugged innocently. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Solomon continued the interrogation, "We saw her hand you something."

"Oh, that…" I trailed off. "It was… uh…"

Before I could say anything else, Abby was pulling the paper out of my pocket. She read it and said, "A phone number?"

I nodded. My cover wasn't quite blown… yet. Townsend turned and gave me one of the most frightening stares I've ever seen and said, "Time to start telling the truth."

My mouth was dry. I so badly wanted to keep lying so I could go back to school and save Mom, but I just couldn't face them anymore, so I said, "She offered me a deal. I get her a ledger from school, and she would tell me where Mom is."

Abby looked furious, "You told her no, right? You called her out on her lie? And then told her to go to hell?"

I shook my head ashamed. "It could be my only chance."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, hello! Thanks for reading! Here's an update for you! Sorry it's been a little bit, but school you know... anyways, enjoy! -Tickgrey**

* * *

After a very tense couple of days in Townsend's apartment which I figured he wouldn't inhabit for much longer considering so many people now knew about it, we headed back to school (accompanied by Townsend who I assumed would be staying in England.) Nothing had happened there, and the Circle didn't actually try anything (to Abby's delight and my dismay.)

When I stepped out of the car we arrived in, I sensed the glances of my classmates. I sighed; as good as I was outside my school, after sophomore year I rarely went unnoticed inside the walls of the Gallagher Academy. Of course, returning from a mysterious mission during the school year with three of the best spies around was also a little strange even for a Gallagher girl.

Professor Buckingham and Mr. Smith greeted us almost immediately and led us to SubLevel 1 where the room that I had learnt my first CoveOps lessons was once again converted into a war room. We all had a seat at the table where Madame Dabney was already busy at work.

Professor Buckingham turned to us and said, "We haven't been able to locate Rebecca, Zachary, Elizabeth, or Macey, but we do have a solid lead that they may have made their way to France. Ms. McHenry's private jet was seen landing in a private airport near Paris."

Mr. Solomon asked, "Did we get eyes on them after they landed?"

Buckingham sighed before admitting, "We didn't get their location until it was too late. We don't even know whether they are still in France or not."

"Are you sure you don't have any ideas as to where they might be?" Madame Dabney turned and asked me.

I shook my head and said, "Bex was the only one who even knew that I was leaving."

"You didn't ever mention where you were going?"

"No, I didn't even know where I was going until I bought the ticket," I assured her. Madame Dabney nodded and continued to flip through a curious-looking file. I tried to peer at it, but Abby gave me a look.

Professor Buckingham turned to me and said, "Cameron, dear, you should probably head to sleep. You will need all the rest you can get, so you can return to classes as soon as possible."

I nodded. Arguing with them would be futile. As a stood up to leave, I heard them resume talking about possible locations of Circle headquarters. I climbed into the elevator to get out of the SubLevels and stepped off into the front hall. As I stood staring out into the empty hall, I finally realized just how alone I was. Well, I _was _alone until I heard a voice behind me say, "Have they found them yet?"

"Preston!" I exclaimed. I couldn't tell if my excitement was from seeing him or from being scared by his voice but I managed to get out, "Did who find whom?"

He smiled, "Did the teachers find Macey, Bex, Liz, and Zach yet?"

I shook my head. "Nope. I have no idea where they are."

He sighed, "So I guess we're about on the same page then?"

"Pretty much," I admitted. I looked at the clock on the wall before turning to him and saying, "I should get going. I'm going to have a lot of make-up work to get done."

"Okay," he nodded. As I started to walk away, he called, "Oh, and I'm sorry about your mom. Macey told me, and I'm really sorry. I hope you find her."

"Thanks," I smiled and continued up the stairs.

* * *

Sleep didn't come easy that night. Finally I gave up and grabbed some books from my backpack. I tried to get as much homework done as possible. After three pages of math in Mandarin, I glanced at my watch and saw that it was four o'clock in the morning. I sighed hoping that I'd be able to sleep peacefully one night.

* * *

When I went down to the dining hall the next morning, I remembered that my usual spot was completely empty without a single person nearby. I sighed and grabbed some bacon to nibble on. Tina waved and offered me a seat next to her which I reluctantly accepted. I wasn't really listening to their conversation, but I was snapped back to reality when Tina solemnly, "Cammie, I'm really sorry about your mom."

"How did you-?" I began to ask, but I stopped myself and muttered, "Thanks."

Anna also said, "Yeah, it's really awful. I can't even imagine."

I shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to it."

They both gave me really sad glances. I didn't really want people feeling sorry for me, but I knew that they would whether I wanted them to or not. After five more awkward minutes, I turned to them and said, "Excuse me."

I found Preston in his usual classroom. He was typing away busily but looked up when he heard me hovering at the doorway. "Oh, hey, Cam!"

I smiled, "Hey. Already doing school work?"

He shook his head, "I've got to finish up this college application. They gave me an extension on the normal date being the son of- well, you know."

I gaped, "I completely forgot!"

He looked confused. "You forgot who my parents were?"

I shook my head, "I haven't even started any job applications!"

"It must be different for super spies, because for the rest of us, we normally go to college first," he joked. "To where are you applying?"

"Well…" I began, but as I was about to list where I wanted to apply, I realized that I didn't actually know. "I don't know."

"You've got time, right?" He tried to assure me.

I shrugged, "I'm actually not sure. Well, I should head to class now."

He nodded and then joked, "Me too."


	14. Chapter 14

**So, here's chapter 14. Meh, I'm conflicted on this chapter, but oh well. I like the beginning, but the end point was a little awkward, so sorry. I just didn't want this chapter to be obnoxiously longer than the rest, so consider this chapter and the next as almost one chapter (but not.) I was listening to some Tichelli while writing this, so I think the tone changes as the music did (which was Angels in the Architecture, by the way.) I don't know how many band nerd as reading this, so that last sentence might be completely meaningless to most... but you guys should really listen to Tichelli. He's a visionary. So, anyways, happy Friday! Very excited for the weekend, Tickgrey**

* * *

I arrived at my CoveOps classroom a little late, but it didn't even matter because Mr. Solomon hadn't shown up yet either. It was incredibly unusual to him to be late, so I scurried to my seat which I now noticed was its own little island in the corner of the room without my friends there. Tina glanced back at me, and I could see on her face that she was wondering if the reason I was late was because there was some breakthrough. I returned a glance to assure her that nothing notable had happened (at least not that I was aware of.)

Finally, the door swung open to reveal not Mr. Solomon, but Mr. Smith. In fact, a very expressionless Mr. Smith. I was hoping to get a read off of him, but he was letting absolutely nothing slip out. I shot a curious look at Bex, only she wasn't there, so I just ended up giving a strange glance to Anna Fetterman. Anna didn't seem to mind which was probably because she shared similar confused sentiments.

Mr. Smith cleared his throat and began, "Mr. Solomon had some business to attend to, so I have been asked to step in for the time being."

Tina looked excited that Mr. Smith might reveal some juicy gossip about the whereabouts of Mr. Solomon, but instead Mr. Smith just continued, "Today, we all agreed that it would be an appropriate time to continue our discussions on what to do upon graduation."

There was an anxious shuffling, but he continued in the same dry tone, "Applications for most of the major agencies are due in two weeks in order to be considered for most 'straight out of school' positions."

I gulped at the sound of that. I hadn't even gotten an application for an agency yet, let alone started filling anything out. "Most of you have already submitted applications which is fantastic! We would like to encourage you girls to submit them this week so you don't run out of time."

I'm pretty sure Mr. Smith continued talking for a while about helpful application tips and the benefits of some different agencies, (even though I'm pretty sure everyone in the room had their eyes on the same agency: CIA) but to be honest, I completely drifted away. My thoughts were tied up in everything that could possibly be happening with my friends and mom.

"Ms. Morgan?" I heard a snap. I jerked back to the present and looked up to see Professor Buckingham at the front with Mr. Smith. When exactly had that happened? I couldn't possibly have been in my thoughts for that long (evidently I had though.)

"Hm?" I drowsily asked.

Mr. Smith gave me a stern glance and then said, "Professor Buckingham needs to see you."

I nodded and followed the elderly professor out into the hallway. She motioned for me to follow her which I did. We climbed into the Sublevel elevator and made our way to Sublevel 1 which I was now getting very used to seeing. I was beginning to wonder where the sophomores were having class if Sublevel 1 was almost constantly used for a war room now. When we reached the end of the hallway, I turned into the room and much to my surprise, saw Macey, Zach, Liz, and Bex sitting calmly at the familiar oak table. I smiled and said, "Hey!"

They smiled and waved in return, but the atmosphere in the room was much tenser than I had realized. Bex looked beat up with a few noticeable bruises on her face and arms including one particularly nasty bruise on her chin which was turning a lovely shade of purple, and I'm sure there were a whole plethora of bruises hidden elsewhere. Zach also looked much rougher than the last time I saw him. His lip had been busted open recently, and his eye was blacked out. Liz and Macey appeared to be fine, but for all I knew, they could have had hidden injuries.

Mr. Solomon was seated across the table from my friends. I joined the group at the table cautiously. Mr. Solomon was the first to speak, "I hope you four realize how reckless what you did was. We have never taught you anything of the sort, and to be frank, we expected much more of students such as yourselves."

Macey and Liz nodded solemnly; neither liked being yelled at like this. Zach remained indifferent as normal, but Bex, on the other hand, protested, "Does it matter? It worked."

I shot her a confused glance which she shrugged off. She was engaged in a full-out war with the teaching staff of the Gallagher Academy. Professor Buckingham replied swiftly, "That is beside the point. There were many far safer not to mention less idiotic ways to gather the intelligence that you did."

Bex scoffed, "Then why weren't you doing them? Why were you just sitting around like we had time to waste?"

"Excuse me," Professor Buckingham was getting angry, "but I don't recall telling you everything that both the staff and the CIA have been doing to gather intelligence and conduct a rescue operation."

"Well, if you had, we might not have had these problems," Bex reminded her as if it were just that simple. She had a look of victory on her face. I, in direct contrast, was completely bewildered. What intelligence? Had Bex and Professor Buckingham had an argument before they took off? And for that matter, where did my friends even go?

Mr. Solomon tried to direct the conversation back to a more level-headed discussion. "Well, we cannot change the past. We can, however, catch you five up to speed on what is happening."

I was still confused. Mr. Solomon clicked a remote, and all the screens in the room flickered to life. One flashed to a map of Germany and then proceeded to zoom in on a small town in the southern region. "This is where we suspect the Circle is holding Rachel. The CIA has sent recon teams in the area to gather intelligence and confirm that this is indeed where they are holding her. If it is confirmed, they will draw up a plan to breach and rescue."

Bex, Macey, Zach, and Liz all nodded as if they knew what was happening. I was still lost and now even a little bit angry. Why did my friends and teachers all seem to know what was going on with _my mother _more that _I _did?


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay! Chapter 15! We are _oh_ so close to the big action sequence, so you may now begin to wait on the edge of your seat! ;) I'm enjoying writing this a lot, but I'm going to enjoy the action sequence even more (and hopefully you will too!) I love all of you guys (especially my fantastic reviewers, and I am taking what you guys are saying into consideration as I write this stuff.) So, please, enjoy! -Tickgrey**

* * *

"Stop!" I said which ended up coming out much harsher than I had intended it to come out. The rest of the room must have agreed because they abruptly halted the conversation that was forming to turn and stare at me. I felt awkward when I said, "Why won't anyone tell me what's going on?" I tried making my question sound nice to counteract my initial abruptness, but the question itself doesn't exactly lend itself to subtlety, so I'm pretty sure I still sounded like an angry teenager (which I guess I was.)

Mr. Solomon looked a little hurt as he glanced back at his map. I felt bad because he had obviously tried really hard to make sure I felt in the loop. "I'm telling you about the recon operation in place," he offered.

"No, not that. I mean, where were you four? What was going on?" I began. "And why does the CIA and you guys and well, everyone but me know where my mom is?"

Zach opened his mouth to say something, but I never got my answer or even excuses because Aunt Abby and Townsend walked into the room together. They stepped apart when they walked into the room to avoid appearing as though they had been getting along. Townsend quickly began, "We both just received calls briefing us on a joint CIA-MI6 to commence tonight."

Abby continued, "The CIA received a threat earlier today from the Circle that Rachel would be killed within the week if the ransom weren't paid – which it won't be."

"The decision was made an hour ago to send in a task force to breach the compound at 10:15 Eastern Standard time. There will be a reasonable cover of darkness as well as our best guess at a shift change in the guards staffing the look-out points. We're working on limited intel, so we're not sure of the chances of success," Townsend finished. He turned to me and said, "By this time tomorrow, Rachel could be back home waiting to see you."

I nodded unsure of what to say really. On one hand, I could have my mom back the next day, but on the other hand, the chances of success were frighteningly slim. In fact, I'd have better chances of getting into the White House without any sort of ID than they had of getting my mom out of there alive. But strangely enough, there was a small comfort to knowing that _someone_ was doing _something_.

The silence turned awkward as if everyone was waiting for me to say something, but luckily Abby added, "The CIA has agreed to patch us into the radio communication that they will be listening to. So if you want, Squirt, you can listen with us tonight."

I nodded. "Thanks."

I looked at my watch and realized that I was missing way more class than I had planned to. Don't get me wrong, I probably still wouldn't be able to concentrate, but I had already done so much make-up work my senior year that I was getting very tired of missing class. "Can I go back to class now?"

Professor Buckingham nodded and waved me off. I scurried out of there before any of my friends could say anything else. I didn't really want to talk to them right then. I had somehow convinced myself that they had betrayed me, but they were actually trying to_ help_. I sighed. Everything would be so much easier tomorrow when this whole operation was finished with.

* * *

I ate dinner rather quickly that night. Well, I actually ate at a relatively normal rate of dinner consumption, but I only decided to eat a piece of bread and a spoonful of peas which were both good, but I just didn't have an appetite, and I really wanted to get back up to my room as soon as I could. I opened the door and fell onto my bed ready to not move until it was time for the operation.

"Hey," I heard a soft, familiar voice. Despite my want to be alone, its softness and general caring tone was comforting right now.

"Macey?" I sat up. She was sitting at her desk busy at what was presumably make-up work (something I had become quite accustomed to doing.)

"Sorry, I didn't even see you there. Hi!" I said trying to sound more enthusiastic that I really was. It was really hard to act strong all the time.

She smiled and then assured me, "You really don't have to pretend. I know your worried and anxious. I would be too."

I nodded, "I just- I so desperately want this operation to work. I _need_ this to work. This can't happen _again_."

Macey walked over and sat next to me. She sighed and said, "Look, I don't know your mom as well as you did obviously, and I don't know what its like to have this happen once let alone twice, but I know she's really strong, and she's going to fight. They're going to get her out of there tonight."

"My dad was strong too," I whispered as if to prove to myself that the situation wasn't worth getting my hopes up for. Macey didn't seem to know how to respond, so I quickly changed the topic to keep it from getting awkward (well more awkward). "So where _did_ you guys go?"

"Munich," Macey said. "Purely on a hunch of Zach's."

"And you guys found out where she is?"

She nodded, "Not too long after the CIA either."

"I guess for all the commotion I caused, I never did tell you where I went," I said. "I went to London on a suicide mission. I was trying to draw the Circle out. I figured if they killed me, they wouldn't need my mom anymore.

"I know it sounds stupid now, but then it seemed like a good idea," I explained.

Macey shrugged, "I probably would have done something far more stupid, so that's not too bad in my book."

"I got to see Townsend's apartment," I smiled a little.

Macey perked up, "What was it like?"

"Cold, boring," I listed. "You know, it was exactly what you'd expect from Townsend now that I think about it."

We both laughed. It felt good to laugh a little. Things were going to be tense enough that night without being tense all evening too.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello, hello. This was a fun (well... sort of... you'll see...) chapter to write. Thank you guys so very much for the lovely reviews! Your suggestions are well considered, and I have even added in some stuff you guys wanted to see (not just in this chapter but in others in the future). I _might_ get another chapter up tonight because I'm almost done with it, but I'm not sure. If not today, then tomorrow. Happy reading! Tickgrey**

* * *

It was almost time for the operation to start, so I slipped out of the room quietly being careful not to wake the now snoring Macey. Liz and Bex hadn't come to the room after dinner, so I assumed they were in the library studying. I really wanted to talk to them before going down to Sublevel 1, but I knew they had plenty of make-up work to do. I decided to take the long way all the way around and through the teachers' corridor mainly because I didn't want to run into anyone.

Sure enough someone said, "Cammie?"

I turned around ready to shoo away Tina or Anna, but instead saw the comforting eyes of Zach. I tried to sound a little cheerful, "Hey, Zach!"

"Listen, we went to Munich-" he began getting ready to confess everything, but I closed my eyes and cut him off.

I waved my hand dismissively and said, "Macey explained everything. It's okay. And _I'm _sorry for being all moody lately. There's just so much stress."

He shook his head, "You have every right upset or moody or whatever you need to feel right now."

Zach walked over and grabbed my hand. His felt warm and soft and well, perfect. I felt a lone tear begin to stream down my cheek. I wished it wouldn't have left my eye, but it did feel good to cry. "I just want everything to go right tonight."

He rubbed my hand and said, "It will. They've got the best operatives going in there."

"I know," I nodded. I just wished I could be there being the one to save my mom. I looked at my watch, "I should get down there. It's almost time."

Zach pulled me close and kissed me. It felt good and right, but at the same time I felt a little guilty for enjoying myself while my mom was still being held. Tears were streaking down my face rapidly now, but I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the calm before the storm. When Zach finally pulled away, I wiped my tears and turned to leave before I remembered something that had been festering for a few hours. I called after him, "Hey, Macey said that you knew to go to Germany. How did you know?"

He shrugged mysteriously, "Just a hunch."

Right then, I didn't even care that it was a horrible lie. It was time to get my mom back.

* * *

When I got into the familiar classroom at the end of Sublevel 1, Abby, Townsend, Mr. Smith, Professor Buckingham, and Mr. Solomon were already there sitting around the table. They all look calm, but their expressions switched to sympathy when I walked up to the door. Abby patted the open seat next to her which I slipped into quietly hoping their eyes would flicker back to whatever they were watching before.

There was a lot of static and some background chatter on the radio feed that was already playing. There were snip-its about weather, temperature, final preps, and even something about explosives which I would have actively listened to in any other situation. Today, however, my mind was anywhere but the educational aspects of listening to an actual operation. All I could think about was the last time I had seen my mom. I thought the danger was all gone. After all, the Circle didn't need me anymore. Mom was going to go hunt them for a few weeks, but it wasn't supposed to be this dangerous. _We _were supposed to be hunting and killing, not _them_. Mom kissed me on the forehead and wished _me_ luck. Why hadn't I wished her luck? Or kissed her back? Or hugged her even harder?

Finally, I heard the all-important countdown begin with a commanding female voice, "Operation New Dawn to commence in 10 minutes. Please await my signal."

Abby whispered, "Agent Jones. Best exfiltration expert in the CIA."

I guess it should have been a little comforting to know that the very best were on the case, but it felt like I didn't have enough time to whisper back to Abby. Suddenly I heard, "Five minutes. Take your positions for breaching."

Where had the time gone? My breath was heavy now. My vision was blurry. "Two minutes. Set the explosives."

No air was entering my lungs. I couldn't breathe. It took all my might to keep from making a weird gasping noise as I finally took a breath. "One minute."

Abby looked calm. How could she be calm when a rescue attempt for her sister was about to be made? Why was everyone else in the room so peaceful? I closed my eyes and waited until I heard the stern commanding leader say, "Go."

There was a loud bang which I knew was the breaching explosives. They must have entered the compound's grounds by now. There were gunshots, but none of our operatives reported being hit. "Three targets neutralized."

"We've taken the watch tower. All clear to enter building," a new male voice said.

My heart raced even faster now. It was running a 100m dash while I was sitting in a room under close surveillance trying to look calm. A different man said, "We're in… there's no one in the front room."

"All clear. Moving into back room."

Then there was the sickening sound of a bullet meeting its target. "I'm hit!"

"Conners was shot!" There was more gunfire. "Enemy has been taken down. There's a second body in here."

No, no, no. There were plenty of people that body could have been: a Circle agent, a friendly agent, a different hostage...

"Female, mid-forties, maybe?" A voice said. My heart accelerated. She couldn't be dead. There's no way. "Gunshot to the head. It wasn't us. No pulse. Looks like she's been dead for a few hours already. We need to get an ID on the body."

I heard the voice I recognized as Agent Jones come across, "I can ID it. We've got complete control over the compound. I'm on my way inside now."

_Ba bum. Ba bum. _My heart rate picked up. The body had to be anyone else. Not Mom. There had to be female Circle operatives, right? _Ba bum ba bum ba bum ba bum!_ How long could the walk possibly be? _Ba bum ba bum! _I didn't dare open my eyes. I didn't want to know what everyone else was thinking or doing right now. _Ba bum ba bum! _Abby's hand grabbed mine. I squeezed hard. _Ba bum ba bum!_

"Oh, no!" In a split second my heart went from the speed of light to zero. Agent Jones' voice came back sounding even more distressed than it had been before, "Oh, no, no, it's Rachel."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi, guys! Thanks for reading! Here's chapter 17, wooooo! I'm hoping this chapter clears up some questions you guys have been asking. Also, don't worry, this is pretty much the only real "depressed Cammie" chapter. We're about to get to the good stuff. It's all about the build though. I'll probably be back with another update on Thursday or Friday but definitely soon. Thanks for the lovely reviews! I love hearing feedback from you guys. And thanks for the follows and favorites. It means so much to me! Yours cordially, Tickgrey**

* * *

I didn't want to open my eyes. I _couldn't._ But I knew that eventually I would have to face the room of people. Abby's hand started to shake a little in mine. I knew she was feeling the same way that I was right now: a weird mix between fear, anger, and pain that I'd only felt once before when my dad died. I finally gathered the courage to open my eyes to see a few tear drops racing down Abby's cheeks. I wanted to cry too, but I just couldn't somehow. My tear drops were done. But I desperately wanted to cry; it would have made me feel better.

I looked at Abby for a second before mumbling, "Excuse me."

Mr. Solomon stood up and called, "Wait!"

But I was already gone. As soon as I got out of the room, I took off running towards the elevator. Finally the tears came and there was no closing the flood gates now. The elevator took me up to the main hall which seemed strangely serene at this hour. I hesitated for a second unsure of where to run to. There were a dozen passageways I could sneak into from here, but no place seemed better than the P&E barn right now.

When I finally got to the barn, I stood outside for a minute and looked up at the stars. My mom would never see them again. I cherished every second I had to glance at the stars even more now. When I walked into the barn, I realized that I wasn't alone. I wanted to say something to announce my presence, but my voice just didn't seem to work right now, so I just nodded when a voice said, "Cammie?"

And there sitting in the barn against the wall was Bex. Dear, dear, Bex. Just hours ago I was mad at her for stupid, petty reasons. But not, I just walked up and hugged her. "Cammie, what's wrong?"

I still couldn't speak. I just let my tears fall onto my best friend's shoulder. She gulped, "The operation? It was tonight, wasn't it?"

I nodded. She couldn't see my nod, but I knew she felt it on her shoulder. "Oh, no, Cammie! She wasn't there? Did the op go bad?"

I cleared my throat and pulled away from the warm hug. I looked her in the eye and muttered, "She's gone, Bex. She's gone."

Bex's eyes opened wide. Hers were beginning to water as well. "What? How? I don't understand. Did the op go wrong?"

I shook my head. "She had been dead for hours when they showed up. They shot her in the head."

I was disgusted to hear the sentences roll out of my mouth. How could someone do this to her? Finally, my legs couldn't support me anymore, so I fell back against the wall and slid to the ground. Bex quickly joined me. After a few silent minutes she said, "I really thought it would work. I thought for sure your mom would be back here tomorrow or at least by the end of the week."

"I did too," I admitted. "I didn't think there was any way she'd just be gone. I mean, I knew there was a chance this op wouldn't work, but I thought we'd get a second shot." I cringed at my word choice. I didn't want to trivialize my mom's death. My beautiful, fantastic, perfect mom.

Neither of us said anything else. At some point we both must have fallen asleep there, because when I woke up, Bex was fast asleep next to me. I nearly jumped when I heard a leaf crackle.

"It's okay!" I heard the soothing voice of Mr. Solomon say. "I'm just here to make sure you're okay."

I sighed. I didn't quite know what to say, but thankfully, Bex woke up before I had to reply. "Mr. Solomon?" she asked groggily.

Mr. Solomon just nodded. Bex look around, "Where am I?" After a few seconds of confusion, she gaped, "Oh, my gosh…"

She gave my an apologetic glance as if to beg forgiveness for forgetting, but my mind was elsewhere. She said, "I'm going to head to the room."

Bex turned back to make sure I was okay before leaving. I started to get up too, but Mr. Solomon said, "No, no, don't get up."

He groaned in pain as he said down next to me, "The wounds haven't healed quite as well as I would have liked."

I still didn't say anything. He sighed before continuing, "This probably isn't what you want to hear right now, but they've gotten some tests back, and they have made a positive identification." He left it intentionally vague which I appreciated. "Cammie, she was a really great person."

I nodded, "I just- I mean, how? How did this happen?" For once I was hoping that I was out of the loop. That there would be some simple explanation that would make everything seem worth it.

But Mr. Solomon just shook his head, "I don't know. We don't know why she was killed before any exchange was planned or before any ultimatum was issued, or anything."

It wasn't really a comforting thought to know that no one knew why my mom was being brought back home in a coffin rather than on a airplane. I suddenly remembered, "What about that, uh, Agent Conners? The guy who got shot?"

"Lieutenant Conners is in the hospital, but the bullet when straight through his arm. He'll make a full and speedy recovery," Mr. Solomon explained. After some silence he asked, "You hungry?"

I shook my head. I was hungry, but it wasn't a hunger for food. My stomach tumbled and turned, but the thought of food disgusted me. Mr. Solomon began to get up. When he looked back down at me, his eyes were laden with sorrow, "I really am sorry."

* * *

For awhile, I just sat there. I didn't want to leave, but I realized that classes would soon be filing in to train. Gallagher girls never skip classes. Everything we learn is crucial to our success and possibly survival. But today, I walked next to the lake staring at my reflection when I should have been studying CoveOps or COW or something.

I barely even noticed that a few hours had passed until Aunt Abby strode up and said, "Hey, Squirt. How many classes were you planning on skipping?"

I shrugged. "All of them."

Abby nodded. She pulled me into a tight hug. I didn't want to let go. It just felt so good to be in her arms. She was now the closest family I had. "How are you holding up?"

I sighed and then said, "I don't know. I guess I sort of knew that the odds of her coming back were slim."

"It's still tough," Abby admitted. She looked more vulnerable now that I'd ever seen her before. "No one should have to lose both parents to something as awful as this."

I looked around at the lake and said, "This was Mom's favorite place on campus. She told me that."

Abby smiled, "I know. We used to come here together back in the stone age. She'd bring homework, and I'd bring candy."

For the first time in a while, I laughed. It was a short snort, but to me, it was like laughing for hours until your stomach aches. I looked back up at Abby, and asked, "Are you going to make me go back to class?"

She shook her head and said, "Believe it or not, I played a fair bit of hooky back in school. And besides, you need some time."

I continued my slow stroll around the lake, and Aunt Abby followed walking slowly as well. She looked deep in memories, but I couldn't bring myself to be nostalgic now. I didn't want to think about happy times.


	18. Chapter 18

**Aaaaand, here it is! This was mostly a filler chapter. I need some build up before the big action starts. We're getting into the juicy bits very, very soon. :) I'd now like to take the time to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I can't believe I've gotten this kind of response (or any response at all) from you guys! I love all the lovely reviews! Please keep them coming! And to those very incredible people who have decided to follow and/or favorite this story, thank you ever so much! You're really too kind! Thanks so much for reading! Without you guys, I would be lost, sad, and lonely (well, probably not, but it's the thought that counts, right?) Anyways, buckets full of love, Tickgrey**

* * *

The next week was perhaps the worst week of my entire life. It began with the announcement to the rest of the school that their headmaster had been killed. I tried to duck out of the dining hall before anyone could look at me, but I wasn't nearly quick enough. Soon the pitying eyes of all my classmates and teachers flickered to me at one point or another (or in Tina's case, the _entire_ time.) It's not that I didn't like their comforting words or well-intended advice; I just really wanted some time alone in my thoughts. My friends had been good about giving me my space, but I even shrugged off Zach's attempts to make me feel better.

The next day, Abby and Mr. Solomon took me up to Langley for Mom's star unveiling and ceremony. This was the second time I had been here in a matter of only months, but this time was much harder. When I was here for Dad's re-dedication things were simpler; I already knew he was dead, so it was really just a formality and some closure. Abby was visibly shaken the entire time which was completely understandable considering what she had been through, but it was weird seeing her like this. I was introduced and re-acquainted with numerous agents and operatives all desperate to tell tales and adventures they shared with my parents. I pretended to listen to most of it. I really just wanted to get back to school and let my mind get busy again.

Unfortunately, Abby had to stay at Langley to resolve some matters with the CIA, but Mr. Solomon and I were able to drive back later that afternoon. Neither of us said a single word on the ride back. I just wanted some peace and quiet, and Mr. Solomon seemed to notice that I needed some space.

But no matter how miserable and sad the ceremony had been, my day got instantly worse when we arrived back on campus. I was feeling particularly nostalgic, so I decided to head through the Hall of History and into my mom's office- or my mom's _former _office. My path, however, was cut short. There were numerous stuffy-looking agents carrying boxes out of the office. I couldn't get any words out; I just gaped stupidly at the agents. When I was finally able to get to her office, I saw her desk which was now completely bare and the bookshelves which were now empty. Everything was just _gone__._

I didn't even notice Professor Buckingham slip in until she said, "They're clearing things out until a new headmaster is appointed."

I stuttered, "Wait- you're- you're not-?"

She shook her head before I could finish. "I'm retiring after this year." She sighed, "We all get too old eventually, and this year has been particularly straining."

I nodded feeling almost apologetic. A lot, well, _most _of her stress had been my fault in some way or another. "But why did they take _everything_?"

"They're running an internal investigation," Professor Buckingham began. "That's why Abigail was held up at Langley today. They want to know everything about the Circle business."

"What? Do they think you guys were hiding it from them to cover something up?" I gathered, but it seemed highly unlikely.

Buckingham nodded, "Something like that. We did hide a crucial piece of information from the CIA whether we had valid reasons to or not."

"So… is the CIA going after the Circle themselves then?" I asked. I think Professor Buckingham knew what I was insinuating: I wanted to know who exactly was going to avenge my mother's death.

Professor Buckingham just shook her head sadly, "No one. After the internal investigation is complete, which could take months or even years, they will attempt to reconfirm the validity of the evidence we gathered over the years. Considering that the lists' origins are sketchy at best, it's highly unlikely the investigation will ever resume."

"Just like that then?" I gritted my teeth. "They just get to walk away unscathed? No one is doing _anything_?"

"Sometimes, that's just how it goes," she said matter-of-factly like it had been drilled into her which it probably had been. Operatives are taught to gather information, conduct operations, and then move on without asking questions. I was now starting to see the danger in this.

"That's just _how it goes?_" I repeated tensing up more and more trying to use her words against her. "That's not good enough!" I snapped.

Professor Buckingham was getting visibly upset as well as she barked back, "Sometimes it just has to be good enough! Things are well out of my control now!"

"Heads should be rolling right now! People should be dead! We should be ripping this organization to shreds!" I raged. "Instead we're just giving them time to rebuild!"

"Once again, I have no control over any of this," she said smoothing her coat. She had already regained her composure when she said, "You should get some rest. You're tired. It's been a long week."

"I haven't been able to sleep since she was kidnapped! And now, every time I close my eyes, I see her- _getting shot_. Sometimes, I'm there. I'm able to stop it, but I never do. I just watch her fall. I can't even catch her! I just stand there helplessly and watch them_ kill_ her," I panted. I was out of breath but I continued on, "But the best part- the best part comes afterwards. I'm strangling some man with my bare hands. I never know who he is, but I know he's the one that killed her. And as he takes his last breaths in my cold, blood-stained hands, I smile and wake up happy and content. Why doesn't it even disturb me that I'm happy about killing someone? Why does it feel _good_? What's wrong with me?"

I was aware that I probably sounded like a raving lunatic by now. I was also aware that I was shouting at the top of my lungs with the door sitting wide open for the whole school to hear. As I tried to regain my breath, Professor Buckingham stared at me with clinical eyes. After a few very tense minutes, she finally said calmly, "Cameron, you should take tomorrow's classes off. You need some rest. Afterwards, we'll talk some more. I think you need to see someone."

"I'm not crazy," I snapped in a tone that suggested otherwise. Eventually, I just sighed and bitterly said, "Fine."

I didn't wait for a response before I walked out of the room still fuming. I didn't even give a moment's notice to the gathering crowds in the hall watching me curiously. No one ever talked this way to teachers or acted this way. I flew up the stairs and ran to my room as quickly as possible. Thankfully, my roommates weren't there, so I was able to spend some time thinking.

No one was doing _anything._ There was nothing I could do. My friends would never come with me or let me go now to stop them myself. Not after what had just happened. Finally, an idea popped into my head. It was completely crazy, but it just might work because of that. I reached into my bag and pulled out a small scrap of paper with a phone number on it and dialed on the cell we used for the embassy operation. When I heard the answering line click, I calmly asked, "Are you still interested in that ledger?"


	19. Chapter 19

**No author's note today, amigos. (Well, none other than this.)**

***Correction: _short, unimportant_ author's note today.**

**-Tickgrey**

* * *

The next morning, I was already feeling much better. I decided to ignore Professor Buckingham's advice about taking the day off. Getting back to normality would be much more beneficial than falling behind on more work. Bex tried to get me to stay and sleep, but I was ready to get busy. For the first time in ages, I had been able to sleep well without nightmares or tossing and turning.

I pulled on my uniform and followed Bex, Macey, and Liz down to the dining hall. I grabbed as much food as I could and dug in rather quickly. Macey glanced sideways at me and asked, "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

I nodded and smiled showing a mouthful of waffle, "I'm fine. Well, as much as I can be considering." I added just to make sure no one would think anything was suspicious, but that boat had already sailed a long time ago.

"It's just, you were all angry and depressed yesterday, and today you seem… _normal_," Liz cautiously observed like I was some lab specimen making interesting progress. I tried my very hardest to not grimace and instead just laughed which felt weird. I couldn't possible be laughing, not with everything going on. So, I choked the laugh back into a kind of snort.

"Really, I'm fine. I finally got some sleep last night," I said with a smile. They didn't look convinced, so I sighed, "Look, at some point, I have to get back into the swing of things."

Bex shrugged like that made sense, but Macey still stared at me questioningly. Thankfully, Professor Buckingham was there to break up the awkward silence. "Good morning, all!" her voice bellowed through the dining hall. Everyone stopped and looked up curiously. We didn't usually get announcements in the morning.

She managed a smile before saying, "I hope you all had a nice sleep and are ready for a great day of classes! I just have a few announcements to make before you all can return to your normal conversations." Her voice suddenly became more solemn, "The trustees have decided to host a memorial service for our fallen headmistress on Saturday. Most of the trustees and several prominent intelligence figures will be in attendance. Your teachers and I will give you more information as we receive it from the trustees who are planning it."

I gulped. It seemed like would be just another event for people to pity me and tell stories that I really didn't want to hear about my parents. I was tired of being in the spotlight all the time. I was the _Chameleon, _this was just unnatural for me. Then, I smiled ever so slightly. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to slip off campus without anyone being able to actively search until after the ceremony. All I had to do was get that ledger by Saturday, then I could take off.

* * *

After breakfast, Bex, Macey, and I made our way to the Sublevels to go to class. They still didn't seem too pleased that I was going to class again, but they weren't arguing anymore. But before I could get to the door, I heard, "Ms. Morgan! Where are you going?"

I motioned towards the door and opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off, "I thought we agreed that you were to take today off."

I shrugged, "I'm feeling better."

"That's not the point," she said thoughtfully.

"I just- I needed to get back to work. I need to be doing something," I started. "The sooner things get back to normal, the better."

Professor Buckingham stared me down for a full forty-seven seconds before giving up and saying, "Fine. But I would still like to speak with you after your classes today."

I nodded, "Alright. Can I go now?"

She nodded slowly, and I scurried off to class. I didn't really want to give her the chance to change her mind. When I got to the classroom that I'd been to a hundred times before, the whispers suddenly subsided. For a spy school, my classmates weren't subtle in the slightest. I nodded curtly and smiled, "Hey."

Most were afraid to say anything, but after what seemed like an eternity of awkwardness, Zach walked up and said, "Cammie! I didn't know you were coming back today!"

"I wanted to get back to work," I admitted.

He warmed up some, grabbed my hand, and led me to my seat in the back. I wanted to talk with Zach some more, but Mr. Solomon walked into the classroom looking over some papers and began saying without looking up, "Hello, ladies! Today we are going to review the Goldman Pass. I know, I know," he droned over our moans, "this is the kind stuff you learned your sophomore year, but there is even more that-" he stopped abruptly and almost ran into the desk when he saw me. "Cameron?! Can I talk with you for a moment?"

I got up and followed him outside the classroom fully aware of the curious glances and whispers of my classmates. Mr. Solomon turned and said, "Cameron, why are you here?"

"It's class time," I said as though it should have been obvious. I knew what he actually wanted to hear, but I decided at some point that sarcasm was the best defense against depression.

He shook his head, "No why are you _here?_ Buckingham told me that you were still taking time off to rest."

I shrugged, "And today she told me I could come to class."

"This isn't a good idea," he said sternly. "You've been through a lot lately, and you need time to recover."

"I'm fine," I lied again. It was getting easier and easier to lie to those closest to me now.

"You don't look fine," he observed. There were those examining eyes everyone had been giving me lately as though any minute I'd crack. "You _need_ some rest. Then, you can come back to class."

"I already spoke to Professor Buckingham, and she said that it's fine," I pointed out.

He looked at me even harder before finally sighing, "Fine, but I don't want you overstressing yourself."

I nodded and headed back inside the classroom. Mr. Solomon followed me in, and after I sat down, he continued, "Where was I? Oh, yes! Pop quiz!" I smiled at the sound of those two words; things were beginning to feel normal again. It was a shame that I was about to turn everything upside down again.


	20. Chapter 20

**Woot woot! Chapter 20! Wowzers! I never thought I'd get this far, so thank you guys for all of your fantastic support! I actually finished this chapter up last night, but forgot to post it... whoops.**

**Anyways, just some quick plot stuff to clear up. For anyone who wants a sort of timeline, I'm imagining we're in late March sometime. Their graduation is set for the end of May. And yes, Cammie seems to be a little OOC here, but I'm mostly just trying to show her being jaded by all that has happened. We will be seeing the old sarcastic, cheery Cammie again before this fic is through. I'm working on getting more Zammie in here as well, but (1) as I mention earlier, I suck at romance, and (2) it doesn't always fit in with the plot progression, but there is a pretty big scene planned between them before the story is finished with.**

**So, once again, thank you all! It is a real treat to write for all of you! Love always, Tickgrey**

* * *

And there I was once again just sitting in Professor Buckingham's office. The only difference was that this time, she wasn't there too. My eyes flickered impatiently at my watch; it was nearly a half hour after she had asked me there. I breathed deeply trying to maintain my patience. I swung my legs and began to twiddle my thumbs. I know that spies should be patient, but I had homework and well, _other_ things to do.

I heaved another deep breath of air before pulling a book out of my backpack. The next half hour of waiting was consumed by archaic Russian literature on which I had a test to make up. It was a little hard to concentrate knowing that I was probably about to be yelled at or told I was going crazy. I looked down at my watch again wondering where Professor Buckingham could possibly be, but was interrupted by the rumbling of my perturbed stomach. I should have been eating dinner by now.

Finally, there was a light rapping on the door which nearly scared me to death. I looked up, "Mr. Solomon?"

"Hi, Cameron," he greeted. "Professor Buckingham asked me to tell you that she has been summoned to Langley for a few days."

"You couldn't have told me that an hour ago?" I joked awkwardly.

He shook his head, "I only just got the message." He walked into the room and casually switched topics, "While you're here, we might as well talk."

I shrugged, "About what?"

"Well, we're concerned about you," he stated bluntly. I nodded because quite frankly I agreed. I was even scaring myself lately. "You've been through a lot, and we all just want to know that you're okay. _I _need to know that you're okay."

"I think I'm okay," I hesitantly replied. He didn't look convinced at all. "Well, I supposed there have been some rough patches along the way, but I'm getting there."

"No, I understand completely," he said. "I know what it's like to lose someone."

"Who?" I asked curiously. Any bit of information I could pry out of him was always nice.

He sighed, and his eyes became really soft, "Your father was my best friend, and your mother was, well, a really great friend."

All week I'd been dodging stories and old acquaintances of my parents, but suddenly I wanted to hear. He continued, "They both meant the world to me, and I can only imagine what you're going through."

"Thanks," I murmured. I went back to thumb twiddling for a minute to relieve my anxiousness.

Mr. Solomon broke the silence once more when he said, "This probably isn't the best time at all to ask, but were you ever planning on applying to an agency?"

I just shrugged, "I thought I wanted to, but now I don't know."

"Your parents both knew the risks. But they also knew that they were serving their country in one of the most valuable ways possible," Mr. Solomon tried. He seemed a little uncomfortable discussing them, but I knew he was just trying to help.

I shook my head, "That's not why. I just want to get these people. But, you guys can't anymore because some higher up says no? I don't think I would be able to live with that. I know I _can't_ live with that actually."

"It gets easier," he explained. "When I first joined, I wanted to get every crime organization, every crooked guy, everything. But you can't. You can't get every single one, and even if you did, more would just come back. There's evil everywhere."

"I might not be able to, but I'm going to give it everything I've got," I stated coolly. Some ice-like liquid seemed to be running through my veins now. I knew exactly what needed to be done, and I finally had the strength to do it.

Mr. Solomon paused and said, "A few years ago, I told you that had promised myself that I'd look after you after your father died. Well, I made the same promise again two weeks ago. Cammie, please, don't do anything you're going to regret. You're acting on impulse right now. But please, just wait before you do anything."

"I- well, okay," I lied with some hesitation. He was being so honest and caring, and here I was about to completely betray his trust. "I've got a lot of work to make-up still," I began. Mr. Solomon nodded and motioned to the door which I hurriedly scooted out of. My stomach rumbled once more, so I made my way to the dining hall to get some food before it closed. The chefs had been particularly lenient about getting me food during off hours lately.

* * *

Before heading back to my room that night, I decided to take care of business. With Professor Buckingham gone, this was the perfect time to get that ledger. I made my way to the library first in order to establish a reasonable cover in case I accidentally set some alarms off or if someone got curious. I grabbed a desk in the back and spread my books and notebooks out to make it look like I would be in late to finish up as much make-up work as possible (which I was planning on doing after the mission anyways.)

I make a point to walk through the most crowded section of the library (which was pretty full because it was only seven o'clock.) They all saw me, and Anna even gave a short wave which I returned with a slight smile. I grabbed a book from the shelf and made a point to walk past even more studying classmates. My alibi was now practically fool-proof. When I returned to the desk in the back, I put my new book down and made it look like I needed to grab another book too.

Instead, I went for one of my favorite passageways in the back of the room. It used to lead outside the school, but that part had been sealed off. There was still an off-shoot that Buckingham had missed, however, which was very convenient for getting to the Sublevels.

When I got to the lift to the Sublevels, I cautiously glanced around, but there was no one in sight. Luckily, my hand was still recognized by the system, so I slipped into the lift before anyone could see me. When I finally arrived to the modern hallway underneath my school, I gulped. Where was it? My best guess was that it was in the room filled with sterile filing cabinets. I slipped into the storage room and began rifling through the drawers. My heart was racing; I _really _didn't want anyone to walk in during this.

_Eureka!_ I silently exclaimed. I pulled out a slim file labeled 'Circle of Cavan Ledger.' Could it really be this simple? I opened it quickly and quietly. My eyes flashed through the names and numbers on the pages checking to make sure it was what I wanted. When I was absolutely certain that I had the right file, I slipped it into a different, more covert folder in my backpack and left its previous folder in the cabinet.

When I was finally back in the passageway to the library, I let out a deep breath. It was really that simple. If only I'd done that sooner, then Mom would still be alive. When I arrived back at my desk in the library, I looked at the clock. It had only taken me a half hour; I was getting much better at this.


	21. Chapter 21

***creeps in slowly, barely cracking the door open***

**Hi, guys... Sorry about the one week hiatus there. I had to take the SAT this past weekend, and I had a research paper to write, and then I had lots of rehearsals for band because we've got our big performance coming up, and I had to get some sleep (well, like 2-3 hours a night all week if that even counts), and then I did need some time to eat food, and then there was normal homework/studying, and...**

**Well, basically, life got in the way of my writing, and I'm very, very sorry for not updating at all.**

**I got this chapter written at the start of the last week, but I'd been getting up the strength to come back and edit/revise because that's my least favorite part because normally my first drafts are utter crap. So, thank you for being patient. I promise to get back to the more regular once-every-other-day-ish updates.**

**Love you all, and thanks for waiting!**

**Love, A very sorry Tickgrey**

* * *

Friday arrived much quicker than I had expected it to, but as my classmates were making preparations for the weekend, I was stealthily packing my things; I wasn't coming back. I filled my backpack with the essentials starting with a few sets of (non-uniform) clothing, the ledger (of course), and pretty much everything I'd need to live for a while like some snacks, a few gadgets, and some basic tools. I made sure not to pack any electronics that the school or even my friends could track. I took the credit card out of my wallet and left only the cash and my passport inside.

By the time I had finished, my backpack was filled to the brim. I had to fill it with everything that I would need for my journey, but it couldn't look too stuffed or I'd never make it out of the school unnoticed. Though I wasn't planning on leaving until the ceremony the next day, I was going to take my supplies down to the tunnel tonight so that my escape would be easier. I couldn't think of any logical excuse to carry a backpack full of stuff through a memorial service.

I made it out of my room, through the dormitory halls, down a flight of stairs, and to the passageway without much notice. I got a few waves or brief exchanges from classmates, but no one seemed to notice anything but a Gallagher girl going to do some studying (because even on a Friday night, we study a lot here). On the way back to the room after I put the bag into the passageway, however, I ran (quite literally) into Zach.

"Oh, sorry," I muttered until I looked up and saw Zach's beaming face. He looked so happy to see me which made me realize that I hadn't actually talked to him in a while. "Zach!"

"Hey, Gallagher girl," he cooed. I faked a smile because I really wasn't feeling all that happy, but seeing him was nice. He smiled back, "So where are you headed tonight?"

I shrugged, "I've got a lot of makeup work to get done, I suppose. Too much time off of school will do that." (A lesson which I had probably learnt better than any Gallagher girl before me.)

"Okay," he said defeated. He knew that I had a lot of work to do still, so he accepted that as an excuse pretty easily. But still, his hand slipped into mine, and he asked quietly, "Are you sure everything's okay? You've seemed different lately."

"I'm just trying to get through until graduation, I suppose," I admitted. I didn't want him to get suspicious about me leaving, but I didn't want anyone to find out about my imminent departure, so I resorted to half-truths. "It just takes time."

He nodded. I suppose he sort of knew what I was going through. His mom was a conspirator for the Circle, and he never knew his dad, but he also didn't know what it was like to lose someone he was really close to like this. To lose two people he was really close to like this. He sighed, "Alright. I'm just… worried." He breathed out anxiously.

"I should get back to work," I lied pulling back slightly. "I was just taking a short break from studying."

He nodded. I tried to walk away, but he pulled me close and kissed me. You'd think that by now I'd be used to him doing that, but it still caught me by shock every time. I didn't want to leave when he finally drew back, but I remembered that I had to "get back to work."

* * *

The next morning I was abruptly woken up by Liz who had just plummeted over a pile of textbooks I had accidentally left in her typical path to the bathroom. She yelped in a terrible high-pitched voice, "Gah!"

"Whoops, sorry," I grumbled. I turned over to face her before groggily asking, "What time is it?"

She looked at her watch, "Seven o'clock. The- uh-" she hesitated, "_event_ starts in two hours."

I nodded before realizing she couldn't see me in the dark. I had almost forgotten about the memorial service today. In fact, I had been trying to forget about the memorial service all week with the exception of planning my escape. "Oh, I'm going to get some more sleep then."

"Alright," she acknowledged.

I wasn't really tired, but I also was going to need all the sleep I could get for what I was about to do. The rest of my sleep was dismal at best, but it was something. It lasted a full hour and a half until I heard the somewhat kind voice of Macey coo, "Cammie, you're going to be late."

"Oh, right, sorry," I muttered as I rolled out of bed and grabbed my uniform (which was the same one that I had worn yesterday, but I was only going to be in it for a few hours today). I brushed my hair out a little and then turned back to my roommates before saying, "You guys know that I love you, right?"

Bex shot me a curious glance before saying cautiously, "Of course." She was suspicious.

Liz and Macey nodded. Liz piped, "Why? What's wrong?"

I shrugged. "Today's just going to be _tough_."

They nodded in understanding, though they didn't actually understand nearly as well as they thought they did. I wasn't actually all that worried about the ceremony because I wasn't going to be there for more than a half hour. I wasn't worried about facing the trustees because I wasn't going to meet them today if everything went according to plan. But especially, I wasn't worried about facing my friends because they'd never have to know what I was getting ready to do.


	22. Chapter 22

**I know, I know. Bad Tickgrey. I should have updated a lot sooner, but it's looking like with school and other commitments, I'm only going to be able to update about once a week now. I will, however, try to add more bulk to my one a week updates in the future. This will probably help the story advance a lot better if I'm not having to worry about leaving something left for a chapter the next day. And there will be some weeks where I'll be able to post multiple chapters, but I'm planning on a once a week deal from now on. Thanks for reading! Love always, Tickgrey**

* * *

My friends and I walked solemnly down to the main hall which had only a few students in it at this hour. The event was to take place in the garden, but we were going to eat some breakfast first, so we proceeded into the dining hall. I was famished, so I piled as much food as I could onto my plate as we walked through the line.

Liz hesitated before saying, "Don't you think you should take it easy on the food today?"

I shot her a confused look as I began to shove waffle bits into my mouth. She rushed to finished seeing my confusion, "Well, in case, you get- I don't know- _overcome_ with emotion or something?"

I shrugged, "I'm trying to move on and this ceremony isn't helping. If I have any emotion today, it'll be irritation or anger."

Poor Liz wasn't expecting such a blunt reply, so she just stared down at her plate dejectedly. She had, apparently, lost her appetite. Macey jumped on me, "Are you sure you aren't using your anger as a coping method?"

"Honestly, Mace, I don't have a clue what you're talking about," I swallowed. "I'm _fine._"

Obviously, I wasn't totally fine. I was about to betray everything I had been fighting for, but I was fine emotionally I suppose even if my psychological state was a little bit... _hazy._

Bex stated, "What she means is, you've been really irritable lately. We think you're taking your anger out on us and even Zach. We're trying to help. _Please, let us help!_"

I gulped (and not because of the waffles this time). She was right. I had been very irritable with my friends lately, but I merely brushed her off and said, "I don't really want to talk about this now. Not today."

Liz and Macey nodded in understanding. Bex, however, remained resolute, "But we will talk."

"Maybe," I replied ignoring her determination.

She shot back daggers, "That wasn't a question."

* * *

After one of the most awkward breakfasts of my life, the friends and I made our way to the garden outside where there were rows of chairs as well as some memorial-type stuff set up. I nearly puked up my breakfast when I saw the giant pictures of my mom hanging near the front podium. Liz noticed and shot me a 'I told you so look' before looking genuinely worried.

"I'm fine," I said before they could ask as I clenched my teeth trying to hold everything back. "Excuse me."

I turned and walked back inside. Liz was right. This whole thing was too much for me. I couldn't bear to see my mom again. Not like this. I pushed through the growing crowds of students and made my way to a corridor that was lined with classrooms. Typically, it would have been buzzing with people even on a Saturday, but today, everyone's attention was elsewhere. I threw myself back-first against the wall and suddenly the tears were back. I had done so well lately about not crying, but suddenly I couldn't contain them anymore. I sunk down into the ground and curled up into a ball on the floor.

"Cammie?" I heard a quiet voice say in the most innocent-sounding Southern accent imaginable.

I looked up. There was Liz. Sweet, beautiful Liz. She must have followed me back inside knowing something wasn't right with me. I managed to get out "Liz" in between sobs.

"Are you okay?" she asked mostly out of the lack of anything else to say. It was pretty obviously that I _wasn't_ okay, but I didn't really mind her asking. I shook my head 'no' and returned to my tears. It wasn't so much a pity party as a full-out gala of sorrow.

She sat down next to me and grabbed my hand. "You don't have to do this alone, you know. We want to help. We want you to feel better again. We just want you to be happy."

I nodded. She wasn't lying. _I _was the one who was lying to everyone. "Really, I'm okay. At least, I _will _be okay in a couple of minutes. I just need some time on my own. I'll be right out there."

She nodded sensing my dilemma. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay a few minutes?"

I shook my head once again before returning to my cocoon. I hated shutting everyone out like this, but it had to be done. I had to walk this line alone.

* * *

Only when I could be sure that Liz was gone did I finally get up. The tears were real, but I had played it up a little bit. I really wanted to be left alone but in a state that people would understand. No one would question a girl going off to cry at her mother's memorial service. And no one would question that I had found a good place to hide and cry privately.

I looked around to make sure I really was completely alone before slipping into the passageway that I had prepped the night before. I slipped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing the backpack and heading out of the passageway leaving my school uniform behind. I no longer had any use for that.

The passage led just outside of the grounds and just beyond the wall. It was a miracle that it was still operational quite frankly. I was relieved to see sunlight when I poked my head out of the tunnel cautiously. There was no one around which was a very good sign. As soon as I got walking, I was just another Roseville resident. There was no way that anyone would be able to pick me out as a Gallagher girl (unless of course if I were to run into Josh which seemed unlikely since he was probably busy or asleep still on a Saturday morning).

I noticed plenty of limos pulling up to the school now. The trustees and other important attendees must have been arriving already. I was quite thankful that I wouldn't have to meet them.

I made my way into Roseville proper before sitting down at a park bench at the prearranged meeting spot. I looked around hoping that Catherine Goode wasn't habitually tardy. To my _delight_, when I looked up again, there was the woman who had tortured me not even a year before.

She, brimming with confidence, sat down next to me and said, "Another park bench? I hope this isn't becoming a thing."


	23. Chapter 23

**And here's chapter 23 as promised! Yes, I do think that these once weekly updates will work out nicely (at least, for me, that is.) I like this part of the plot, so the writing is really flowing out now. Be on the lookout for more updates soon (I might get another out this week depending on the work load that I get.) I think I'll have much, much more time next weekend to shoot some more chapters your way.**

**And before anyone asks, Bex, Liz, Macey, Preston, Zach, Mr. Solomon, and well everyone else will be back, but it will take some time. I need to let this part of the plot fully develop before they can come back. But I assure you, that they will each have their moment of triumph when they do come back. But for now, it's Cammie time! Woooo!**

**So, please enjoy. I'll stop rambling now.**

**Sincerely,**

**Tickgrey**

* * *

I looked to my left and said, "Are you armed?"

Catherine laughed. At least, it resembled a laugh. It was more of a grunt mixed with a sinister grin. "Of course I'm armed. You could be setting me up."

"I'm not," I said indignantly. A bead of sweat slowly rolled down my neck, but my determination to not look weak stopped my from wiping it off. I preferred the chilling sensation it caused to looking weak in front of this wretched woman.

She shrugged. "Well then, I'll trust that you're not setting me up if you trust that I'm not going to shoot you."

"Shooting me wouldn't do you any good anyway," I pointed out. I knew before I came that I'd need an Ace to play in order for my plan to work.

Catherine clearly wasn't expecting something like this. She raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Someone's been getting a little bit smarter than from our last encounter. What is your grand plan?"

"I don't have the entire ledger with me, you see," I said rather proud of myself. "The last page isn't in the file. In fact, the last page doesn't even exist anymore. I burnt it."

"I'm not giving you anything for a partial list," Catherine grumbled.

I shrugged, "I'd expect no different. The rest is all up here," I said as I tapped my head. "And we both know how good I am at keeping things up there."

I cringed on the inside. It really didn't feel right to flaunt that because in the end, she did kind of win that battle, but it felt like the only possible thing I had to hold over her. I dug into my backpack and pulled out the file. I carefully set it in her hands and allowed her to skim through the contents. The corners of her mouth flickered upwards which indicated that it was exactly what she wanted.

"Alright, I'm satisfied," she replied. She turned to me once again and said, "Alright, what do you want in return? Money? Names?"

I sighed. This was the impossible part. This was the part of the plan that was certain to fail. Not to mention the fact that it was incredibly stupid. I breathed in as much air as I could before dropping the bomb, "I give you that file, and we go after them together."

"I don't follow," Catherine said calmly. Clearly she was following me though.

"Well, you want the people and organizations on this list gone in order to wipe out what's left of the _real_ Circle. I want them gone because they killed my parents. We both want the same thing. So we hunt them together," I said. "And when we're done, we merely part ways. No hard feelings, no hunting each other, and no _killing _each other."

Catherine turned to think for a moment. She was clearly not in favor of my proposition. "And if I refuse?"

I shrugged calmly, "Then I leave with the file, and you find another way to get this information. I don't need you. You _need_ me and my file."

"What use would you be to be anyways?" She mocked. "Why shouldn't I pull the trigger and go after even a partial list? There's bound to be another copy somewhere out there."

"I'll do whatever is needed. I'll as far as needed," I said coolly. "They killed my parents. I'm willing to get my hands dirty."

"Done," she said as though she'd just completed a routine business transaction. I suppose she was in a way, but this was just a really sick, twisted business.

"Really?" My surprise must have shown through because I wasn't expected a 'yes.'

"Don't make me change my mind," she warned me. She opened the file once more and flipped through it again. She looked up before she said, "Let's go."

"Where?" I asked as we both got up. I jogged to keep pace with her as she made her way to a nondescript white car in parked on the side of the road.

"To our first target," she said matter-of-factly. I gulped. This was getting very serious now.

* * *

After three changes in cars and two very long flights, Catherine led me into a plain white building. We had landed in Heathrow first, and after a ten hour lay-over, we hopped on a flight to Moscow. I remembered that several of the names (or rather, numbers) on the list had addresses in Russia, so I figured that that was where we were headed.

The building was quite peculiar. From the outside, it was barely noticeable. No one would think anything of it other than some ordinary storage warehouses or even a workshop. The inside, however, was a modern oasis. The sterile white walls and floors seamlessly blended into the high-tech environment I had just stumbled into. There were computers everywhere in the first room. I felt like I had just walked into some sort of mission control room. Catherine had already instructed me to touch nothing and to talk to nobody.

We continued thorough what appeared to be the main hall passing even more peculiar rooms. One was quite obviously a shooting range. It was abnormally long though and was probably for training snipers. There was a small cafeteria and several office rooms. Every worker we passed looked the same: determined and busy. I wasn't really sure what kind of people typically worked at splinter cells of terrorist groups, but they were as close to my guess as possible.

She led me to the stairs in the very back of the hallway which she descended unusually quickly. It was a struggle to keep up because I was still very jet lagged, but I managed to keep within a few paces of her at all times. I noticed the stairs continued up for at least two more flights. I hadn't been able to tell just how tall the building was from the outside, but I assumed it was rather tall.

When we got to the end of the hall on the upper floor, she motioned towards a room. "There's where you'll stay for now."

She handed me a key, and then, noticing that my tension had just swelled, said, "Don't worry. It isn't a trap. You won't be locked in or interrogated or anything or the sort, but I must ask you to remain in there unless you are told otherwise. Few people here will know your purpose here, and it's better that it remains that way."

I nodded still too tired to speak. She continued once more, "Now, get some sleep. Jet lag can be killer."

I opened my mouth to protest, but I then realized that I wanted nothing more but sleep, so I unlocked the door and pushed it open with all the strength I had left. I noticed that Catherine was doing the same just across the hall. She was looking tired as well.

The room was a decent size. Everything was white and bare, but I figured I wouldn't be there for very long anyway. The bed looked comfortable enough, and there was even a small, private bathroom attached on the side. But the rest would have to wait because as soon as my head touched the pillow, I was fast asleep.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey. I swear that I did not forget about this. Life just got really, really, _really_ crazy, and I'm really sorry. But I've got a long-ish chapter for tonight, and hopefully more this week (though after last time, I will make no promises about updates anymore.) I do, however, promise to try much, much harder to get updates up! I hope my entire base didn't give up on my in my absence :( Anyways, please enjoy! Love (even though I kind of abandoned you guys), Tickgrey**

* * *

The next morning I woke up naturally. I yawned and stretched before remembering exactly where I was. I looked down at my watch which read seven o'clock. Slowly, I pulled myself out of bed and to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Not long after pulling on fresh set of clothes, there was a brisk knock on the door. I opened it to see Catherine once again. "You ready?" she asked looking freshened up as well.

I nodded and followed her out the door and to a small room near the stairs. It was some sort of planning room. Maps lined the walls, and there were a few computer stations along the wall. In the center was a long wooden table with documents scattered across it.

Catherine sat down and motioned for me to do so as well which I did hesitantly. She flipped through a stack of papers in front of her before tossing the fifth one towards me. I skimmed through it before looking up. She cleared her throat and began, "Alright, our first target is Robert Franks, an American who now lives here in Moscow. He is the primary source of funding for the Circle. He's hired them for a variety of illegal dealings including drug running and assassinations throughout Russia. Currently, he spends his time mostly at his club. We'll take him out at his house, however."

I nodded. She continued, "It shouldn't be difficult. The man is careful, but he is vane. His home is an apartment with far too many glass windows."

She tossed me a blue print which I surveyed quickly. "So where are we getting in?"

She shook her head, "We're not. You'll be here," she pointed on a map of the neighborhood to a building across the street. She then moved her finger to another building on the other side of the block. "I'll be here. We'll both be in perfect position to snipe him depending on which room has the best shot."

"Snipe him?" I gulped.

"Unless you have some sort of objection?" she mocked. "I thought you were willing to do whatever it would take?"

I shook my head, "Nope. I'm game. I just don't have much experience with that kind of stuff."

"We'll get you ready," she said with far too eager of a smile.

* * *

I spent most of the next week in the shooting range that I had notice on my way into the compound. It kind of sickened me, but I was really good at this. My instructor was a short, rounded man who was simply addressed by 'Pierre,' but he wasn't French, so the name seemed like a little bit of a misnomer.

As I lay on the ground with the rifle pressed up against my body, I let my mind focus in just as I had been taught. My target had been calibrated to be almost the exact conditions we were expecting for the op. I was shooting through one layer of glass and almost fifty meters across the street. The weather was showing relatively calm conditions for the night, but I had been practicing with varying amounts of wind.

My finger adjusted my scope and then flickered to adjust the rifle itself. I breathed in slowly and allowed myself to become one with the gun. I wondered if this is the sort of thing that Zach had learnt at Blackthorne. No. I commanded myself. I couldn't let my mind wander. I took five more calming breaths just to be sure that I was completely refocused.

I closed my eyes and moved my finger down to the trigger. The cold metal was bliss against my finger. Breathe in. And with the exhale, I let my finger glide just barely pressing the trigger towards my body as I felt the cool air from my nose come out against my arm. I didn't even need to look at the target to know that the shot was perfect.

And suddenly, I snapped back to reality. There was clapping behind me. I set the rifle down and looked behind me to see Catherine clapping. I began to stand up as she said, "Excellent."

I followed her out the door. Her pace was unusually brisk today; most days we were in no hurry at all to head down to the shooting range, but today something was different. She headed back to the same planning room we had used a week ago.

We sat down once again, and she handed me a thin fine, "Those are the final details of the op tonight."

"Tonight?" I stuttered. She nodded. "Are you sure I'm ready?"

She shrugged, "You don't have to be perfect yet. You just have to be proficient enough in case I screw up."

"Oh," I responded. I suppose that was a little comforting. "So, how are we getting in?"

She pointed on the map, "You're ending through the back. The building is a store, but it's for lease, so it'll be very easy to break in. Your perch is on the top floor, but not the roof. You'll know where you're meant to be when you get there."

I nodded. "When are we leaving?"

"Five hours," she said after glancing at her watch. I nodded and headed back to my room to get some sleep before the op. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Later that night, I found myself sitting in a black car with Catherine at the wheel. She'd given me even more detailed instructions about the building which I took in gratefully, but I really just wanted to get this over with. She pulled up in a sketchy alley and motioned for me to get out. Before I closed the door, I heard her call, "Good luck, kid!"

I slammed the door and proceeded through the dim alleyway. There was only a single source of light which was a battered bulb hanging from just its cord. It flickered ominously but managed to remain lit. The ground was worn asphalt coated in muck and grime. There were too many pot holes and puddles to count, but I did my very best to avoid as many as possible.

Finally, I got to a familiar building. It was the same plain, ordinary building that I had been studying, but it felt comforting to see it now. I dug through my pocket for my picks (a high quality set which had been provided by the splinter group) and got to work on the lock. It wasn't hard to pick, but few people try to break into a rundown place like this. Why on Earth would such a wealthy man reside in a dodgy neighborhood like this? I pushed this thought out of my mind. Just the facts and the gun, I reminded myself.

I reached my perch at last. It looked warm and homey amidst the dark, drafty room. I made my way to the spot and pulled my rifle out of my backpack. I allowed the pieces to roll through my fingers as I assembled my gun. My watch informed me that I had plenty of time to make sure everything was perfect.

After the gun was absolutely perfect, I got down into my position on the ground and let my finger play with the trigger. The gun wasn't loaded yet, but that was just about to change. I decided to check my scope and get into position first.

Well, that was odd. I peered through the scope at where the window should have been, but there was none. I got up from the ground carefully and looked out the window above me. The building across from me was nothing like Catherine described it. But surely there was a reason? Maybe I entered the wrong building? But everything about _this _building was spot on.

I looked around and crouched back down again to try to get a handle on the situation. Suddenly, there were distant shots. That must be Catherine! She was in the right spot! I was just wrong. Everything was going to be fine.

But it wasn't.

Suddenly, the room lit up. There were shouts and flashes and stomps and noises. "Get on the ground!" "Drop the weapon!" "Hands on your head!"

I complied, but everything was hazy now. I thought I saw a familiar face, but before I could say anything, a black bag was pulled over my head, and I was dragged out of the building.


	25. Chapter 25

**Yay! Chapter 25! A quarter of the way there! Nah, I'm only joking. There definitely won't be 100 chapters (I'm not sure if that makes you sad or relieved.) Anyway, I hope you all like the upcoming developments. We've still got plenty of story to go still, but we're nearing the climax. I might have another update either tonight or tomorrow, but either way, hopefully before the end of the week. Sincerely, Tickgrey**

* * *

I must have been drugged at some point because when I woke up, my head felt like something was beating on it like a bass drum. It took a few minutes of batting my eye lids before my vision sured up again. Even still, everything was in a weird fog that just wouldn't go away.

When I finally got my senses relatively back in order, I noticed that I was sitting unrestrained in a cold, metal chair which was pulled up to an equally sterile table. I looked around and recognized my surroundings immediately: I was in an interrogation room. It wasn't like on television. There was no mirror which secretly led to some back room, there were no visible cameras (though I'm pretty sure I was being watched,) and there was a fairly sufficient light on the ceiling.

Suddenly everything was coming back to me. I had been apprehended before I was able to complete my mission. What was my mission? Oh, right, I was trying to take out a top Circle backer. That's noble enough, right? Surely they wouldn't have any qualms with that. It's not like they were going to do it themselves. Who was they anyways? CIA? MI6? Russian authorities? No... they spoke in English, of that I'm sure. Did they have accents? I couldn't quite remember. What else happened? There was something wrong with the sniper's perch. I just couldn't remember what was wrong. The location! It wasn't where it was supposed to be. I wasn't in the right spot. Or maybe the target's building was never meant to be there? Was I meant to be apprehended?

Then it hit me harder than a train. I had been set up.

I banged my fist on the steel table in frustration which made a loud, metallic crash. Gah! How could I be so stupid? Of course Catherine would set me up! I was the perfect target, so willing to just join up with a terrorist group! I was emotionally unstable, I was a wreck, I was stupid. The authorities wouldn't hesitate to think that someone like me might commit murder as retribution. Now I didn't even have super spy parents to get me out of this mess. I was alone.

Thankfully, my thoughts were disrupted when the door swung open with a _creek_. Either I was being carefully watched like I suspected or they had just heard me hit the table. Either way, it was time to face the music.

But when I looked up, it wasn't exactly who I had expected. "Townsend?"

"Hello, Miss Morgan," he replied cordially. "It seems we're in a bit of a predicament."

I shrugged, "This is merely a misunderstanding. I was just out for a walk when I decided to go into that abandoned store."

He smiled, "So, you're not talking? Well, then, I'll talk for a while, and you just consider your options. You ran away from your school and joined a highly dangerous terrorist organization. You were found in a building with a sniper rifle, and from the looks of our surveillance, you knew how to use it.

"Still nothing?" he almost mocked. I just sat there and stared at him directly in the eye. He sighed, "We're willing to make a deal."

I must have perked up slightly at that because Townsend continued, "We will drop all charges against you and let you go completely free in exchange for everything you know about the terrorist organization including headquarters, plans, targets, weapons, personnel, and well, everything. You'll be treated like a key witness."

On one hand, I _really_ wanted to get out of here. I just wanted to go back home to Arlington. I wanted to run into my parents' arms and let them tell me that everything was going to be alright. I was beginning to realize that being a spy was a lot more complicated than anyone ever let on.

"Well?" he prodded. I looked up again and realized that I had been thinking for awhile.

Before making a decision, I had an even more pressing question, "Where are we?"

"You've been here before," he replied.

I looked around once more at the incredibly generic interrogation room before almost smiling, "London, then."

He nodded. "So what do you say?"

"Fine," I sighed, "What do you want to know?"

* * *

After three hours of talking Townsend through every detail of the compound, their targets (though I left out the part about being the one who stole the ledger because it seemed that they didn't already know), and everything I had seen or heard over the past week. Townsend didn't take notes (presumably because I was being recorded,) but rather listened intently to every detail I gave and occasionally asked a question to clarify.

"And then I noticed the building across the street wasn't quite as I was told, and well, you know the rest," I finished.

Townsend was quiet for a moment before nodding and saying, "Very good. There is something I would now like to tell you if you don't mind a few more minutes in this room?"

He didn't wait for a response because obviously I'd want to hear whatever new information I could get. Townsend got up and walked to the wall where he flipped a switch. He began, "We're off the record now. As you've probably gathered by now, you were being set up by the splinter group for murder, yes?" He didn't wait for my nod before continuing, "But what you likely don't know is that over the past week the terrorist group has been responsible for the murders of seven of the Circle's biggest financial backers."

"So," I began before being cut off.

"So not only were you being framed for one murder but a series of them," he explained. I gulped and waited for him to finish. "In fact, the rifle you had in your possession was the same gun used for all seven assassinations."


End file.
